


Switched at the Altar

by justanotherbusyfangirl



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Dubious Consent Due To Identity Issues, Fluff, Identity Deception, M/M, Neglectful Dad, Parent Death, Pregnancy out of wedlock, Smut, Switch Castiel, Switch Dean, Twin Co-Dependency, Twin Switch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2019-08-03
Packaged: 2020-07-30 13:23:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20097895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justanotherbusyfangirl/pseuds/justanotherbusyfangirl
Summary: Masquerading as his twin during his brother’s wedding rehearsal is almost too much for Castiel Novak. Shy and innocent, Castiel isn’t sure about pretending to be his brazen brother, but he’s more worried that the deception puts him squarely in the path of Dean Winchester, the fiancé.Cold, ruthless and destructive, Dean is marrying for business reasons only. To his shame, Castiel is intensely attracted to his brother’s arranged fiancé. He believes that Dean only needs someone to love—and love him back—to bring out the best in him. But he’ll never know. Once the wedding rehearsal is over, he will switch places with his twin and stay away from Dean.That’s Castiel’s plan until he finds himself nervously walking down the aisle in his brother’s wedding tux to meet Dean at the altar… and being swept up in his arms as he carries him into the honeymoon suite. Does he continue the charade or does he let his dangerously powerful husband find out that he has the wrong bride?





	1. Introduction

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the 2019 Destiel Harlequin Challenge, summary unchanged. A huge thank you to the mods for bringing this challenge back!
> 
> From the get-go, I partnered up with the amazing artist **[BeesAreAwesome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeesAreAwesome/pseuds/BeesAreAwesome/works)**. She served as my Alpha Reader and confidant on this fic, and I couldn't have done it without her! 
> 
> **  
**  
[CHECK OUT THE AWESOME ART SHE MADE!](https://bees0are0awesome.tumblr.com/post/186751803810/art-for-the-destiel-harlequin-challengeswitched)  

> 
> Also, thank you to **CR-Noble** for being my beta. [Check out her work!](https://archiveofourown.org/users/erudite12/pseuds/CR%20Noble/works)

The doors to the hall were white with big, polished brass handles in the center. Castiel studied them, trying to push all of the screaming thoughts out of his mind.

This was it, he was doing this. There was no turning back now.

One nod to the attendants had them stepping forward to open the doors, revealing the path of the long, red carpet that trailed between the two sides of the hall. The benches were full on both sides, hundreds of people – most of whom were business associates – standing up as Castiel took the first few steps into the room.

Looking before him toward the end of the hall, Castiel saw his twin brother, looking smart in his tuxedo for once, and the tall Sam Winchester, shaggy hair tamed for the event. 

Castiel also saw the breathtaking man with a white corsage, his green eyes smiling. Castiel wondered how much of that smile was for show and how much of it was real.

His feet automatically stepped up at the end of the aisle, taking Dean’s offered hand. It was warm to the touch, and Dean didn’t let go once Castiel was standing in place beside him. They faced the priest at an angle, hands locked together between them.

“Dearly beloved,” the priest’s voice started, sounding grand in the large room, “we are gathered here today to honor the union of these two gentlemen.” He motioned toward Dean and Castiel.

“Dean Winchester,” Dean nodded, “and James Novak.”

Castiel’s eyes flitted briefly to his brother before looking back at the priest, nodding just as Dean had done.

There was no going back now.


	2. Pre-Wedding

They were fourteen when it happened.

It was a normal day, with Zeke picking them up from school, taking them to the Dairy Queen drive-through for ice cream on the way home. Jimmy and Castiel liked Zeke – he was the closest thing to normal that they had in their lives. 

He wasn’t obscenely rich, in other words.

Zeke listened to the stories of their private high school, complete with uniforms and snobs, regaling them with tales of his own public schooling. There were many times when the twins lamented their lives, wishing for one as simple and fun as Zeke’s.

Zeke pulled the car up to the house, Jimmy and Castiel choosing to go through the side, kitchen door to wash their hands of the ice cream stickiness. One too many times their mother or father had admonished them for ruining furniture or trinkets with their sticky fingers. Only the twins knew that they sometimes did it on purpose, if just for a little attention.

They were setting their satchels down when they heard their father’s voice boom from the parlor. “Boys!”

In a force of habit, Jimmy and Castiel gave each other a once over, Castiel reaching out to pat Jimmy’s unruly hair down and Jimmy straightening Castiel’s always-crooked school tie. They walked side by side through the house to the parlor, stopping in the arched doorway.

Chuck Novak wasn’t alone in the parlor, as they’d expected. There was another man sitting across from their father, his dark brown hair and beard peppered with grey, giving him an air of seniority while keeping his authority foremost. Standing next to him was a young man, probably in his college years, with bright green eyes and a somewhat annoyed look on his face.

Castiel felt Jimmy shift at the intensity of the room. Whatever they’d walked into was not going to go well for them; they both knew it.

“Come in, boys,” Chuck ordered, motioning for Castiel and Jimmy to step forward. It was only then that Castiel noticed their mother sitting in the corner of the room, blatantly staying away from the men but still present.

Chuck stood. “This is Castiel, and this is James,” he said to the two strangers, motioning toward the twins. A fleeting thought had Castiel surprised that their father pointed them out correctly – he often got them confused or seemed to not care which twin was which.

The other man stood, stepping forward and offering his hand to shake. Castiel took it first. “I am John Winchester, CEO of Sandover Bridge and Iron.” Jimmy nodded as he shook Mr. Winchester’s hand. “This,” Mr. Winchester motioned behind him to the young man, “is my son Dean.” Dean gave an unenthusiastic wave, to which Castiel nodded and Jimmy gave his classic half-smile.

“Novak Oil and Gas is going to become a subsidiary of Sandover,” Chuck told the twins, staring them down as if to challenge them to speak out. “One of the stipulations is that the Novak family and the Winchester family are to stay close – as close as legally possible.” Chuck looked at the corner of the room where Naomi, his wife, was sitting with her hands tightly clasped on her lap. “Normally this sort of thing would be required of a _ daughter _,” Chuck looked back to the twins, “but since I have only sons, one of you will have to do. Dean, because they are twins there is no elder, so you may choose.”

All eyes in the room went to Dean, who Castiel was glad to see shift awkwardly on his feet. Dean looked from Castiel to Jimmy, and back to Castiel.

“James will do just fine,” Dean finally said, no emotion in his voice.

Chuck and John Winchester turned to each other, shaking hands vigorously. “It’s settled. I’ll have my lawyer draw up the paperwork tomorrow,” Mr. Winchester said. He tossed a barely-seeing glance toward the twins before ushering for Dean to follow him toward the door. “We’ll be in touch.”

Naomi immediately stood to play hostess and escort the Winchesters to the door, leaving Chuck and the twins still standing in the parlor. They both looked to their father, hoping for any more information of what was going on. What had just happened? Was Jimmy really just engaged to be married in a _ business deal _?

Chuck looked between them for a moment before nodding, marching from the room without another word.

The day had been quite normal, but they soon realized that that single day had changed everything.

Over the next few months, Castiel and Jimmy learned exactly what was happening – in an effort to make more money, their father had reached out to Sandover for a merger. Sandover wasn’t keen on acquiring a small oil and gas company, no matter how successful they were, but Chuck Novak had a way with words. He convinced John Winchester that the merger was in his best interest and threw in a union to boot, even though both men only had sons.

Naomi was skeptical of the arrangement but knew that she didn’t have a place in her husband’s business and therefore couldn’t argue with him.

Papers were signed, with John, Chuck, Dean, and Jimmy all signing. It was binding – the merger of the companies would be immediate, but the wedding would wait until Jimmy graduated from college. No interaction would be necessary between now and then, as long as the wedding was followed through.

After all, Dean Winchester was six years older than the twins, completely inappropriate for any sort of relationship at their current age.

* * *

It was the middle of the night when Castiel woke up to his bed shifting. He startled awake, glancing at the red glowing numbers of his clock before scooting over to make room for his brother.

It had been a long time since they’d shared a bed as children, but somehow the feeling of Jimmy crawling under Castiel’s covers felt normal still.

“Jimmy?” Castiel whispered, wondering what was going through his brother’s mind. Well, he probably knew, but he didn’t want to bring it up if Jimmy didn’t.

Jimmy tucked himself into the crook of Castiel’s arm, his head resting on Castiel’s chest. Castiel knew automatically that it was because Jimmy didn’t want Castiel looking at his face, probably because he was on the verge of tears. Castiel’s arms wrapped around Jimmy and he squeezed tight.

Castiel pretended not to notice the silent shaking of Jimmy’s shoulders or the damp seeping through his shirt. He just slid his fingers through Jimmy’s hair until his brother’s breathing evened out, falling asleep in Castiel’s arms.

* * *

Almost exactly six months after the contract was signed, during Castiel and Jimmy’s sophomore year of high school, their parents and Zeke were killed in a hit and run late one night, taking away the three adults in their life who cared for them.

The funeral for Chuck and Naomi Novak was simple; all Castiel and Jimmy had to do was show up in black suits. They both shed a tear for their mother, and perhaps their father too, before being taken back to their house as if nothing had happened.

They didn’t know when or where Zeke’s funeral was, so they planted a tree in their backyard with the help of one of the groundsmen in his honor. 

Not knowing anything different, they continued to go to school every day, now with Dumah, their housekeeper, driving them to and from campus. Car rides weren’t nearly as entertaining now, and they never stopped for Dairy Queen. Dumah would drive them straight home to do their homework as normal with a full, three-course meal each night.

They didn’t hear a thing about their parents again until a week after the funeral when Zachariah arrived.

“I am your caretaker until you turn eighteen,” Zachariah said as he pulled papers out of his briefcase. They were in their father’s office, Zachariah sitting in their father’s chair as if it was his rightful place in the room. “I will make sure that your monthly allowance is adequate, I will pay the house staff. I will attend school functions, but only when absolutely necessary. I won’t be attending baseball games or chess tournaments, only mandatory events.”

Zachariah put his papers down to clasp his hands together and look at the twins over his fingers. “I am not here to be a father, babysitter, or friend. I have Novak Oil and Gas to take care of, you two just came with the promotion. Do not test me.”

Castiel and Jimmy nodded, unsure of what to say to Zachariah. Did he just refer to their father’s death as a promotion?

“This is my contact information,” he said, standing to hand them each a business card. Castiel’s eyebrows raised in surprise at how quickly he got them printed to say _ Head of Novak Oil and Gas, Sandover Bridge and Iron Subsidiary _. “Do not call me unless it’s an emergency.”

He picked up his briefcase to leave but stopped himself. “But if it’s an emergency, call the police first.”

Zachariah nodded as though he thought that addition was incredibly brilliant before marching out of the room. Castiel watched as Jimmy ripped the business card in his hands to shreds before tossing it on the floor.

“This is all bullshit.”

Castiel couldn’t help but agree with Jimmy as his twin left the room, but he stood still, staring at the card in his hand before looking toward his father’s chair.

“I think you’re right, brother,” he said to the empty room before following Jimmy.

* * *

Two high school boys living by themselves in a mansion (well, except for Dumah, but she stayed in the downstairs wing by the kitchen for the most part) sounds like it would be the greatest thing ever. There were enough bedrooms that the twins could have slept in separate, different rooms every night for a week and never been in the same bed twice.

They never moved out of their shared room, though.

It may have been a twin thing, or it may have been an “our family is dead and all we have is each other” thing, but neither Castiel nor Jimmy ever felt like moving into separate rooms.

Many nights, they ended up falling asleep in the same bed, giving and receiving comfort and companionship to each other. 

They spent nearly every minute of every day together, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

The only person besides Dumah and their teachers who they spent much time with was their uncle Balthazar. He was their mother’s brother and, while wealthy in his own right, he wasn’t pretentious like Chuck Novak had been.

In fact, every time Balthazar came over, he was dressed in jeans and untucked shirts, and always insisted on using the barbeque grill outside, something that put Dumah into a huff. She would argue, saying that ovens and stoves were proper cooking appliances, but Balthazar would just steer her outside, telling her about the delicious spice that smoke could give a good rack of ribs.

Balthazar introduced the boys to rock music, comedy movies, and alcohol. He always seemed to show up when they were having a particularly hard week and never failed to make them laugh.

In truth, Balthazar was probably the only person besides each other that the twins ever enjoyed spending time with.

It wasn’t that they weren’t friendly with their peers at school. But ever since their parents’ deaths, people avoided the twins like the plague.

Plus, many of the other students at their private school were as arrogant as Chuck Novak, and that was not the kind of person Castiel or Jimmy wanted to hang out with any more than absolutely necessary.

In the months that followed their parents’ deaths, Castiel watched Jimmy put up walls to everyone but him and Balthazar. He became the class clown, seemingly uncaring about anything. He was a charmer, just barely pushing the boundaries of rules with teachers and staff, but always knowing when to give a thousand-watt smile to melt their hearts of any anger.

Castiel admired Jimmy for his smile.

He knew that Jimmy was often putting up a front to protect himself, but Castiel was never able to do that. He was quiet and reserved, happy to watch and listen to his brother or classmates rather than speak up himself. They were night and day, yin and yang. 

It was only at night, curled up in a shared bed, that Jimmy would be quiet and Castiel would do the talking. He would make up stories of what their lives would be like if one thing or another hadn’t happened. He would dream out loud of the places they’d go when they were older, the people they would meet.

Jimmy would fall asleep, dreaming of those ‘what ifs’ rather than nightmares of arranged marriages or dead parents. Castiel was proud that he was able to comfort his brother even through the darkest of nights.

Even with all of the stress in their lives – the loss of their parents, the neglect of their caretaker Zachariah, the freedom of living on their own, and the dreaded arranged marriage hanging over Jimmy’s head that neither of them ever explicitly brought up – both Castiel and Jimmy did well in school. Castiel was naturally better at his studies, but he rubbed off on Jimmy enough to make sure his brother got top marks as well.

They graduated Valedictorian and Salutatorian of their class, ignoring the whispers of the parents in the audience about bribes or special treatment.

They had earned their places on the podium, just as they earned their places (and unneeded scholarships) to Rice University.

Rice was one of the few options they had for school – Zachariah wouldn’t allow them to go out of state for school so Ivy League was out of the question. They applied to every major university in Texas, but in the end, decided on Rice.

They didn’t even need to live in the dorms, with their house so close to campus, but both Castiel and Jimmy wanted the full college experience. Dumah made sure they came by for dinner a couple times a week so that she could monitor their health, but other than that they dove headfirst into normal college life.

Luckily, they were able to room together, which meant that they were able to push their two bunk beds together without judgment from anyone. Their lives really weren’t all that different from high school, with Jimmy being the jokester in class and Castiel keeping them both on a schedule.

They both began their business majors, an unspoken requirement from Zachariah. Of course, both Jimmy and Castiel knew they’d be expected to take places in Sandover, if not Novak Oil and Gas specifically, so it only made sense to get a degree to fit. Jimmy decided to go with an Accounting and Finance specialty whereas Castiel leaned toward Management and Marketing, but they wouldn’t take separate classes until upper levels.

It was the second semester of their freshman year when Jimmy convinced Castiel to skip a night of studying and go out to a party he’d heard about through the grapevine. Castiel was skeptical, but it had been a while since they’d raided their father’s liquor cabinet and even cheap college beer would be nice.

Neither of them expected a night out to be another major turning point in their lives.

Her name was Amelia. She was blonde and petite, and from the moment Jimmy saw her Castiel knew that his brother was in love.

Castiel was happy for Jimmy and Amelia, he really was. But the fact that Jimmy was head over heels was only going to cause trouble for them in the long run; he just knew it.

For the first time in their lives, Castiel and Jimmy didn’t spend every waking (and sleeping) moment together. Jimmy split his time (still fairly evenly) between his and Castiel’s dorm room and Amelia’s, split his dinners between the two (although the three of them usually grabbed lunches together), and spent some of his study time with Amelia as well. The more time went by, the more Castiel missed his brother, but at the same time, he knew that there was no one more perfect for Jimmy.

Amelia was everything Jimmy deserved.

Watching Jimmy and Amelia, Castiel grew more and more lonely, though. He found himself people watching more often, especially during those dinners he spent alone, wondering if any of the other college students were meant for him the way Amelia was meant for Jimmy.

Castiel also found himself browsing the internet, landing on articles about Dean Winchester, heir of Sandover Bridge and Iron.

Dean Winchester, graduated top of his class.

Dean Winchester, starting to work in the family business.

Dean Winchester, youngest VP at Sandover in the history of the company.

Dean Winchester, in charge of the Sandover Southern Region – directly over Novak Oil and Gas.

Dean Winchester, whose appearance only seemed to grow more and more handsome by the second.

Okay, that last one wasn’t an article that Castiel found, but rather was his opinion formed after seeing hundreds of pictures of the man online.

What started as morbid curiosity – researching the man to whom his twin brother was betrothed – grew into an infatuation. Castiel found himself daydreaming about Dean Winchester, the man with the green eyes. He thought of that day in their parlor, when they’d first seen Dean. He’d been handsome then, of course, but he’d practically been a boy when now he was clearly a man.

What had made Dean choose Jimmy that day all those years ago? He hadn’t seemed all that interested in his decision. Was it just a whim? Random choice? Was Jimmy’s name just easier to remember than Castiel’s?

What if Dean had chosen Castiel instead?

Would they be friends? Would Dean be interested?

Would Castiel be looking forward to the wedding, that date on the calendar that loomed ever closer with each passing day, instead of dreading its coming?

These were the questions that started floating around Castiel’s mind in the times that he wasn’t studying or with Jimmy and Amelia. He didn’t mean to plant a seed of obsession with Dean Winchester, but the morbid curiosity only grew until any mention of a Dean or Sandover made Castiel’s heart thump strangely.

Junior year, he and Jimmy began renting a small off-campus apartment, even after Dumah insisted they just move back home if they weren’t going to stay in a dorm. They still wanted the full college experience, though, and what else was their monthly allowance going to be used for besides rent and food?

Their classes started to become more specialized, so now Jimmy and Castiel didn’t always have classes together, either. Nights spent curled up next to each other on the couch were fewer and farther between, and for the first time ever, they had separate bedrooms.

The summer before their senior year of college, Jimmy came home before Castiel expected. Castiel couldn’t close his laptop quickly enough for Jimmy to miss seeing Dean Winchester’s face on his screen.

“What are you doing?” Jimmy asked, his voice tight.

Castiel sighed, knowing that things needed to be discussed. They probably should have talked about the arrangement years ago, but why would either of them want to bring up such a touchy subject?

“Reading about Dean Winchester,” Castiel answered truthfully. Dean had just been voted as the company’s favorite VP, obviously quite charismatic and powerful in his own right, regardless of the fact that his father owned the company. 

Jimmy sunk down on the couch, Castiel following him.

The room was silent, save for their calculated breaths.

“I have to tell Amelia,” Jimmy whispered. The words sounded as though he’d repeated them a thousand times in his mind, but never dared say them out loud for them to become real.

Castiel nodded, reaching for Jimmy’s hand to give…what? Reassurance?

“That is probably for the best,” Castiel said, his words hollow. How would this be for the best? His brother was engaged to a man they’d only met once while being completely in love with the girl of his dreams.

Jimmy deserved better.

Castiel offered to be there when Jimmy told Amelia, but he was turned down. Jimmy needed to tell her alone so that whatever fallout happened would be in private.

For the first time in a long time, Jimmy followed Castiel into his room that night and curled up in Castiel’s arms, his head resting on Castiel’s chest. Castiel smiled sadly as he recounted some of their favorite dream-stories from high school, combing his fingers through Jimmy’s hair until he’d fallen asleep.

Castiel didn’t sleep much that night at all, guilt of the whole situation crashing down on him. He imagined a million scenarios of how Jimmy would tell Amelia, none of them feeling right.

The one scenario Castiel didn’t expect was for Amelia to come storming into their apartment that night after dinner. In all the possibilities he’d thought of what would happen, most of them had _ Jimmy _ storming into their apartment, either crying or angry or frustrated or lost.

Amelia, her emotions storming around her almost visibly, slamming open the apartment door was not what Castiel expected.

“Let me see that contract,” she demanded, glaring Castiel down. Jimmy appeared behind Amelia, giving Castiel a half-shrug, half-smile. Castiel nodded, heading for his desk where he kept important paperwork.

A copy of the contract, signed all those years ago by his brother, his father, and the two Winchester men, sat in a folder that he handed to Amelia. She fell into a chair at the dining table, spreading the pages out before her.

Castiel and Jimmy watched as Amelia began reading to herself, a concentrated madwoman.

“So…?” Castiel said quietly to his brother, never taking his eyes off of Amelia. She was slightly scary like this, he had to admit.

“So, I told her,” Jimmy offered unnecessarily. Castiel elbowed Jimmy for more details. “She’s convinced there’s a way out of the contract.”

It was only then that Castiel remembered that Amelia was pre-law, with a hundred-plus hours of intern work under her belt, currently applying for various law schools around the nation. That, and she was a genius.

Castiel looked over at Jimmy and grinned. Maybe things were going to turn around for them, after all.

* * *

As hopeful as Amelia made them on that first, anger-filled night of reading the contract, it didn’t last terribly long. She read well into the night, but eventually called it and demanded a copy of the contract to take home. She was only pre-law, after all, and the contract was a dozen pages, easy.

It would take time, but she promised to find a way out of the deal. Not just for Jimmy, but for her.

Their senior year got off to a busy start, all three of them overloaded with projects and papers and practical work. Most of the time the three of them spent together was filled with studying or quizzing each other, editing and revising each others’ papers, or any number of other school related things. Jimmy rarely spent the night at their apartment anymore, sleeping being one of the only times when he and Amelia could be alone.

It was busy, but that was life.

The holidays brought Castiel and Jimmy back to their parents’ mansion, this time insisting that Amelia stay with them as well. Dumah was glad to have them there, and Balthazar even came to spend a week with them between Christmas and New Year’s.

And for the first time in their lives, Castiel and Jimmy slept in different rooms in their own house.

It’s not like they hadn’t been sleeping separately at the apartment, or even with Jimmy being at Amelia’s, but there was something vastly different when it was their home, their shared bedroom of over 18 years.

The first night, Castiel hardly got any sleep. He was placated in the morning, though, with the bags under Jimmy’s eyes that he recognized as post-restless night.

They had a silent conversation of “Missed you,” and “Everything’s alright,” before settling into breakfast.

It was the morning of January 2nd, just after Balthazar had recovered and left the house after their binge drinking for New Years and subsequent hangovers, when the doorbell rang. Dumah answered it, as she was prone to do (even when she was surely on the other side of the house and one of the twins was in the front room, she still beat them to the door every time, like magic), bringing a large envelope to the boys at the breakfast table.

Castiel was the one to open it.

He was glad that he opened it and not his brother, after seeing the first page.

Jimmy read the look on Castiel’s face before Amelia had even realized something was wrong. “What is it?” he demanded.

Castiel looked up at his brother, then to Amelia. He felt like the world was crashing in on them once more.

“Wedding plans,” Castiel answered simply. Jimmy’s fork fell to his plate with a loud clatter and Amelia’s eyebrows shot up. Castiel looked back at the papers, flipping through quickly to get the gist of it all.

“Looks like they have pretty much everything arranged already,” Castiel said, shaking his head. “Pop’s signature is on some of these, he booked the venue…” Castiel squinted. “The week after the papers were signed?”

“That fucker,” Jimmy said simply. Castiel nodded and continued looking through the papers.

“Guest list is here, with allowance for ten additional people for you to invite,” Castiel talked through Jimmy’s scoff, “invitations are written out and paid for, the caterer and food, the flowers, the fucking tux rentals. Looks like Mom had some say in a bit of this, these notes are in her handwriting.”

Jimmy stood and came around the table to look at what Castiel was seeing. “Schedule of events?” Jimmy read at the top of one page, pulling it from the stack. “January 2, delivery of paperwork. March 10, dinner at Le Charme between the grooms. March…April… Tux fitting, cake tasting – like we need to taste it if they already ordered it? – venue visit, everything is here, up to –“

Jimmy’s words cut off and Castiel took the paper back.

“June 21, wedding. Seven o’clock pm, formal attire,” Castiel read. The room was otherwise silent as Jimmy sunk into the chair next to Castiel. Amelia’s hand was covering her mouth, maybe to hold in tears, maybe to hold in curses – Castiel couldn’t be sure.

All he knew was that everything was crashing in around them yet again, and they didn’t have a plan.

* * *

The beginning of their final semester in college couldn’t go any faster. Amelia spent every hour she could spare looking over the contract, trying to find a way out of it. She started spending nights over at Castiel and Jimmy’s apartment, rather than having Jimmy come to hers. Maybe she could tell that Jimmy needed his brother, or maybe she could tell that Castiel needed Jimmy.

Whatever the reason, Castiel started to enjoy having Amelia around more often, even though their morning bathroom routines clashed slightly.

It was one morning in late February when he knocked on the door to see if she was nearly done.

“Um, just a minute,” Amelia called, her voice sounding weaker than normal. Castiel frowned. Usually Amelia was a morning person, eager and peppy, as annoying as that was. He heard the toilet flush and the sink run.

When she opened the door, he saw the ill look on her face. “Are you okay?” he asked, hands falling on her shoulders. Amelia looked past him, seemingly to check to see if Jimmy was in the kitchen. Then she shook her head, eyes filling with tears.

Castiel pulled her in for a hug, cradling her head. “What’s wrong, what do you need?” he questioned, knowing that he’d do anything for her.

She pulled away quickly, hand covering her mouth. He watched as she rushed back to the toilet, retching into the bowl. He came up behind her to rub her back, dampening a washcloth for her to wipe her mouth when she was done.

She sat back on her heels and looked at him, her eyes sad and scared.

“I’m pregnant.”

* * *

While Jimmy was a bit perturbed that Amelia told Castiel before him that she was pregnant, he was ecstatic about it otherwise. Castiel could only watch with happy tears in his eyes as Jimmy picked Amelia up and swung her around in circles in their living room, laughing like they were children.

The happy moment didn’t last long, though, when the reason for Amelia’s tears came back. Amelia was pregnant, with a child that Jimmy desperately wanted, but he was meant to be married to Dean Winchester in only a handful of months.

What were they going to do?

Amelia kept at the contract, even taking sections of it to her professors for consultation, but since she had to remove any defining details for secrecy, it was difficult for them to give her solid advice. Time was running out and they hadn’t gotten any solid ground to stand on.

The date of the dinner at Le Charme approached, but it couldn’t have been at a worse time. Amelia’s second appointment with her doctor was scheduled for that day, and it was with her doctor back home in Dallas.

Jimmy wanted to go with her, and Castiel wanted him to go as well.

“I’ll go to the dinner,” Castiel offered, not really thinking over his words before they left his mouth. Jimmy stared at him incredulously. “I mean, it’s just a dinner, it’ll be stupid formal and I know enough about you to have generic chit-chat with Dean Winchester for a couple hours. You need to be with Amelia until we can get all this wedding shit figured out.”

Jimmy was hugging Castiel before he was even done speaking, muttering, “Thank you, thank you,” against his shoulder.

Castiel hugged him back, practically feeling Jimmy’s emotions as if they were his own. They were twins, sometimes they could read each other so well that it was like being the same person.

Castiel could be Jimmy for the night, he just knew it.

* * *

Dinner with Dean Winchester was, fortunately, uneventful. The restaurant was beautiful, the French cuisine to die for, and Castiel had no problems being Jimmy for the night. While he was a little on edge to make sure he didn’t do anything terribly out of character, he also knew that Dean Winchester knew nothing about Jimmy or Castiel, other than their last name and Jimmy’s signature on a piece of paper.

Conversation was simple and short: basic get-to-know you, moving into work and school. Dean regaled Castiel with his climb within Sandover, from his college graduation to his current position as VP of the Southern Region.

While it was pushing on the side of bragging, Castiel was quite impressed with Dean’s obvious skills in business.

And he loved how Dean smiled when he spoke of things he was passionate about.

He also learned a bit about Dean’s younger brother, Sam, who was about the same age as the twins. He learned more details about a 1967 Chevrolet Impala than he ever thought could exist, and he learned how Dean’s eyes lit up when he smiled.

In return, Castiel told Dean about Jimmy’s schooling, his business studies, and his volunteering. He was careful in his questions about college life in general, because so much of Jimmy’s (and Castiel’s, for that matter) college experience had Amelia in it.

The night ended much as it had begun, with a business-like handshake.

To say Castiel was disappointed would be a slight understatement, but he tamped down that feeling immediately.

This was a one-time deal, to help his twin before they could get him out of the arrangement. 

Of course, that was until Amelia posed a question Castiel the following day.

“Will you take Jimmy’s place with all the wedding stuff until we can get everyone out of this mess?”


	3. Wedding

Jimmy drove them to the rehearsal. Both grooms were only having one attendant, their brothers, so the rehearsal was going to be small, quick, and efficient.

Castiel’s hands were gripping his thighs, trying to figure out why he was so nervous.

Technically it was Jimmy who was getting married tomorrow.

But  _ technically _ , it was Castiel who would be standing with Dean, saying his “I do”.

Amelia still hadn’t found a way out of the contract, and it was June 20 th .

The car ride was silent the entire drive, the last words the twins heard was the “Good luck” from a beginning-to-show Amelia in their driveway. She’d moved in to the twin’s mansion after they graduated, the lease on their apartments up with the end of the school year.

The three of them couldn’t think of any reason for Amelia to not live with them, and they could always claim each of them had their separate rooms if anyone questioned it.

Not that anyone paid attention to what they did, since Zachariah hadn’t so much as called them after they’d turned eighteen, and Dumah stayed mostly in the kitchen and her room as she aged.

Most nights, though, they all fell asleep on the couches in the living room where Amelia was reading over contracts while Castiel and Jimmy were going through documents from Novak Oil and Gas, as well as general Sandover items. Now that they had graduated, there was nothing holding them back from being pushed into their father’s business. As much as they disliked their inheritance, neither of them minded the actual work.

The building the wedding was being held in was an extravagant local venue, one that was known for its lavish events and beautiful hall. Jimmy pulled into an empty space out front and turned off the car, not moving to get out.

Castiel didn’t move either.

“Fuck,” Jimmy finally said, looking over at his brother. His hand reached across to grab Castiel’s, squeezing it. “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I app-“

Castiel waved his hand to cut Jimmy’s words off. He couldn’t have this conversation right now. It was a conversation they’d had dozens of times over the past few months, every time Castiel took Jimmy’s place at a pre-wedding event. Jimmy, ever grateful for not having to deal with Dean. Jimmy and Amelia, over the moon at their pregnancy and relationship. Amelia, working her little ass off trying to get all three of them out of this mess but still not succeeding.

And here they were now, the day before the wedding, with Castiel still assuming Jimmy’s name to play the role of betrothed.

There was a thought niggling in the back of his head that he could just leave, force Jimmy to take care of his business himself and man up. 

But that niggling was always batted back down and out of the way. Mostly because Castiel would do anything for Jimmy and Amelia.

But also, Castiel pushed the thought away for another reason. One that he hadn’t mentioned to Jimmy or Amelia; one that he hadn’t even really admitted to himself.

He was actually enjoying all of this wedding planning; he was enjoying getting to know Dean.

He half-wished that Dean had just chosen Castiel all those years ago, so that they wouldn’t have to go through all of the deception.

It was too late for that now, though, and Castiel got out of the car without a word. Jimmy followed, the two of them walking through the too-large doors to see three men already inside.

One of them was Dean, and the sight of him made Castiel’s stomach flip. Okay, yeah, he was crushing on the guy more than he’d even admit to himself. 

Another of the men was obviously the priest who would be marrying them, an older fellow who looked like he had been friends with Chuck Novak – he had an air of authority about him, not just from being a man of the church.

The third man was tall, taller than Dean who was already quite tall, and had longer brown hair. It must be Dean’s brother, Sam.

After spending time with Dean on and off, Castiel had learned quite a bit about his younger brother, even after that first get-to-know-you dinner date. Dean loved his brother dearly, it was evident in the way he talked about him. Sam was practically the only thing Dean talked about besides work and his car. Talking about Sam made Dean seem more human, and the affection for Sam had rubbed off on Castiel over time.

“Jimmy!” Dean greeted with a cocky smile, sure to be the one to take the lead. Castiel felt the  _ real _ Jimmy jump beside him in surprise before realizing that Dean was looking at Castiel when he spoke. Castiel only nudged Jimmy slightly before giving Dean a less enthusiastic smile.

“Dean, good to see you,” Castiel answered, accepting Dean’s kiss on the cheek. “This is my brother, J-Castiel.” The twins’ eyes met at Castiel’s near slip-up, but Dean didn’t seem to notice it.

“Castiel, good to see you again,” Dean greeted with a handshake. “I haven’t seen you since you two were in high school!” Jimmy was tight-lipped at the reminder of that day all those years ago when Dean had chosen Jimmy as his betrothed, the day three men other than himself and his twin had sealed his fate.

“Yes, well,” Jimmy answered as he shook Dean’s hand, “that was a long time ago.”

Dean’s grin stayed on his face, even if he felt the ice in Jimmy’s voice. He let Jimmy’s hand go and motioned to the shaggy-haired man. “Jimmy, Castiel, this is my baby bro Sam,” he said as he gripped Sam’s bicep. Castiel recognized the annoyed but loving brother look that Sam threw Dean’s way, the familiarity making him smile.

Sam reached out to shake Castiel’s hand first. “It’s great to finally meet you, Jimmy,” Sam said, holding Castiel’s hand in two of his. “Wish we’d met sooner, Dean claims you and I would get along.”

Castiel nodded, agreeing. Everything he’d heard about Sam made him like the man, so if even half of it was true they’d be fast friends. He supposed he’d get to know him in person fairly well, depending on how the next few days went.

“It’s great to meet you too, Sam. I’ve heard so much about you.” Sam let go of Castiel’s hand to smack Dean on the shoulder with a warning look. Then he turned to Jimmy. 

“And Castiel, seems like we have it pretty easy the next couple days,” Sam said with a smile. “We just have to stand around and look handsome.”

Jimmy actually laughed at that, his laugh contagious as Sam joined along. The priest cleared his throat and the four men split apart a bit, turning to him.

“Shall we begin?”

Castiel nodded, seeing the others do the same out of the corner of his eye. Good to know he wasn’t the only one in the room who was put in his place by this man.

The rehearsal itself was simple, with the priest explaining everything that would happen and in what order. It was when he was talking to Sam and Jimmy about rings and things that Dean’s shoulder nudge Castiel’s.

“You’re nervous,” Dean muttered so that only Castiel could hear. “I can tell.”

Castiel couldn’t meet Dean’s eyes, unsure of what message he would convey in them. Of course he was nervous, he was taking his twin’s spot in an arranged marriage made nearly a decade ago. 

Castiel was surprised when Dean’s arm came to wrap around Castiel’s shoulders, pulling him close. “Don’t worry,” Dean whispered into Castiel’s ear, making him shiver, “I’ll take good care of you.”

Dean squeezed his shoulders before letting him go, the priest’s eyes coming back to the two of them.

Castiel tried to listen, he really did, but all he could think about were Dean’s words.

He couldn’t pinpoint if Dean was trying to be reassuring, or if his tone of voice was more creepy than anything.

Castiel shivered. Maybe he really should run away from all of this, hang Jimmy out to dry. 

But no, he couldn’t do that to his twin. He would get through this, no matter what.

* * *

Once again the car ride was quiet between the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner. While Castiel knew a bit of what to expect, both he and Jimmy were taken aback when they were ushered to the private room at Le Charme.

There were dozens of people there, none of whom looked familiar to Castiel.

In fact, he would have thought they were in the wrong place if  _ Dean and James _ wasn’t projected in scripted font on the far wall, the same as the font on the front of their wedding invitations, programs, and reception gifts.

Their mother’s handiwork.

“James!” They heard a bellowing voice before seeing an aged John Winchester approaching them. For an almost-comical moment, Mr. Winchester stopped in his tracks to look between the twins, obviously not knowing which one of them was marrying his son. 

Castiel threw him a bone and smiled. “Mr. Winchester, it’s so nice to see you again. You remember my brother Castiel,” he motioned to Jimmy, only a breath of hesitation in the introduction compared to earlier. 

Mr. Winchester smiled, clapping a hand on both of their shoulders. The motion brought the three of them a bit closer together and Castiel was sure he smelled a bit of whiskey on John’s breath.

Castiel chose to ignore it.

“Come, boys, our table’s up front,” Mr. Winchester said, all but pushing them back toward where he’d come from. Castiel and Jimmy met eyes briefly as they followed, not knowing what else to do.

As they moved through the crowd, neither twin recognized anyone in the room. Of course, the guest list of the wedding had been mostly set before their parents died, the only person of their allotted ten guests added being Amelia. (They’d also tried to invite Dumah, but she absolutely refused.)

Mr. Winchester stopped at a table where a beautiful older woman sat, her smile truthful and kind. “James, meet my wife Mary,” John introduced.

Mrs. Winchester stood and kissed Castiel on the cheek, her hands on his biceps. “It is so wonderful to meet you,” she said, truth ringing through her words. “And Castiel?” she asked, looking at Jimmy. Jimmy nodded, more of a duck of his head than anything else. “Please, boys, sit.”

Mr. Winchester had already disappeared into the crowd, so the twins did as they were told. Mrs. Winchester looked around them. “It’s a bit much, but your father and John wanted to invite all of the who’s-who of the company to the dinner.”

Castiel nodded, smiling as a waiter offered them a tray of champagne. He and Jimmy each took one, Castiel nearly swallowing the entire thing in one gulp. Mrs. Winchester laughed behind her hand, the picture of a rich man’s wife.

“Sorry, Mrs. Winchester,” Castiel said. “Nerves.”

She waved her hand, laughing a bit more. “Oh, no need to be sorry. And please, call me Mary.”

For the first time in a while, Castiel was starting to not dread the wedding. After meeting Sam (briefly) at the rehearsal and already getting a good impression of Mary Winchester, perhaps things wouldn’t be so bad.

Jimmy must have read his mind because his hand was squeezing Castiel on the shoulder.

“Thank you, Mary,” Castiel said.

A roar across the room from John Winchester drew all three of their eyes to see that Dean and Sam had arrived. Castiel watched as they walked into the room, Dean shaking hands with many of the guests. Of course he knew them, he worked at Sandover with them already. He was popular in the company.

The comfort Castiel had been feeling started to ebb away.

John ushered his sons the same way that he’d ushered Castiel and Jimmy, toward the front table where the twins and Mary were standing up. Sam split off from his dad and brother to walk around the table to claim a seat away from the center (smart man) but Dean bee-lined it to Castiel.

With no warning or precedence, Dean’s hand landed on Castiel’s elbow and held him still as his lips found Castiel’s in a kiss. Castiel’s eyebrows raised in surprise, but the cheers surrounding them had him schooling his features quickly.

Dean was putting on a show.

Dean pulled away, giving Castiel a rogueish wink before grabbing a champagne glass and raising it up in a toast, the majority of the room mirroring his actions. Castiel could only follow suit, finishing the rest of his own champagne and trying to smile.

He glanced at Jimmy to see that his twin was feeling equally uncomfortable, so at least he wasn’t alone. He just hoped no one else noticed their awkwardness, but was pretty sure the drinks in people’s hands were distracting enough.

Dean pulled the two of them into chairs at the center of the table, sliding them right up against each other. His arm draped around Castiel’s shoulders and Castiel could only feel like he was being claimed. Jimmy either found his way or was encouraged toward where Sam was seated, the two of them exchanging a few words. Castiel couldn’t hear what they said, though, through Dean’s greetings and John and Mary Winchester’s conversations with guests.

The night seemed to drag on with each passing minute. The food was delicious, of course, but the five courses were spaced too far apart and too many people around the room tapped on their glasses, encouraging Dean to kiss Castiel on the cheek, the ear, the hand, the lips.

Castiel lost count of how many glasses of champagne he had drunk, but he was sure that Jimmy would take care of him. If Castiel needed to be a little woozy to get through a night of being the center of attention (or pretending to be Jimmy, who was meant to be the center of attention), then so be it.

Speeches were made after dinner, toasts given, and more champagne drunk. Finally, the guests started to leave, most stopping by Dean and Castiel to say their goodbyes. When the room was fairly clear, Jimmy came over to the two of them.

“I hate to say it, but I should get my brother home,” Jimmy said, eyeing the way Dean’s arm was still hanging across Castiel’s shoulders. “Don’t want him to be late and hungover for the wedding, do we?”

The words could have been teasing, if they’d been said with a lilt to the voice. There was no tease in Jimmy’s voice, though, but it seemed that Castiel was the only one who recognized the hardness.

“You can say that again,” Dean joked, standing. He helped Castiel to his feet as well, who seemed to actually need help getting up. Jimmy took Castiel’s arm and waved awkwardly.

“See you all tomorrow, then,” Jimmy said in parting. He started to usher Castiel away but Dean pulled them back, placing another kiss to Castiel’s lips.

“See you tomorrow, Jimmy,” Dean said lowly, the look in his eye bordering on predatory. Castiel gulped and nodded, not wanting to give anything away after being called Jimmy so many times throughout the evening.

He was grateful that Jimmy didn’t say anything the entire drive home, or while he was escorting Castiel to his bedroom, or when they curled up in bed together.

Castiel just needed the comfort of his brother, and Jimmy was there ready to give it to him. Castiel’s dreams were empty, save for the memory of a night full of kisses.

* * *

The pounding headache in the morning was indication that Castiel had drunk a few too many glasses of champagne. Lucky for him, Jimmy was ready with their homemade, cure-all, hangover potion. The hangover potion was the only time Dumah let either twin into her kitchen, but it always came with the price of a lecture on drinking after breakfast.

Maybe Dumah would let him off easy today, though, seeing as it was his wedding day.

Well, it was  _ Jimmy’s _ wedding day, but Castiel was the one going through with it all.

By the time he made it out of the shower and downstairs to breakfast, Castiel was feeling a bit better. The queasiness in his stomach was just as much nerves as it was missettled alcohol, so he pushed the feelings aside.

Jimmy was flipping through the pages of the contract as he ate his eggs.

“Where’s Amelia?” Castiel asked, smiling as Dumah used that exact moment to come through the door with his fresh plate of food. She patted his hair before turning and leaving the way she’d come in.

“She locked herself in the library. She’s got this huge countdown clock on her computer screen, the hours, minutes, and seconds that she has before the wedding.” Jimmy sighed. “She’s determined, man. She told me there’s no way she’s letting that clock wind down before she finds a loophole.”

Castiel didn’t have anything to say in response, so he just kept eating. His hopes had dwindled down to practically nothing and at this point he was resolved.

“Look, Cassie,” Jimmy started after a few minutes of silence. Castiel didn’t look up at his brother. “I saw how you were last night. I know this is hard – ah, fuck I have no idea how hard it actually is. But I shouldn’t let you stand there for me today. This is my life, it’s my name. I should do it.”

Castiel picked up a sausage and threw it at Jimmy’s face. To his surprise, he hit his target, leaving a bit of sauce just below Jimmy’s right eye.

“Shut up, Jimmy. I love you, I love Amelia, and I love that little niece or nephew of mine that’s brewing.” Castiel looked back down at his food, suddenly not hungry anymore. “I’m doing this for you, for  _ all of you _ , whether you feel right about it or not.”

With that, Castiel stood and left the room, Jimmy, and the contract alone once more.

* * *

The Winchesters sent a limo to the Novak mansion four hours before the ceremony, even though Castiel and Jimmy could have rented one for themselves. Castiel almost wondered if John Winchester thought they would back out of the wedding, but he couldn’t know how desperately the twins wanted to be free.

The two of them were ushered to a suite where they could get ready, where they found a buffet of food, their tuxes (along with all other articles of clothing, including socks and underwear), and a bottle of champagne.

Castiel moved the champagne out to the hallway, not even wanting to look at it after how much he’d had the night before.

They didn’t have anything to do other than get changed, so that’s what they did. They left their bowties and cummerbunds off for now, picking at the food. 

Both twins were surprised to hear a knock at the door about an hour later. Jimmy answered it, opening the door to reveal someone they were both relieved and terrified to see.

“My boys!” Balthazar exclaimed, his arms spread wide. “I think someone left the booze outside the room, aren’t you supposed to be getting drunk before your wedding?”

The joy in Balthazar’s voice lifted Castiel and Jimmy’s spirits automatically, his hugs cementing their smiles. Since they’d begun college (and moved out of the mansion), they hadn’t seen Balthazar as much as they once had. That didn’t mean that he hadn’t been keeping tabs, sending them crude and funny emails, or generally serving as their last close relative.

Balthazar unwrapped and popped the champagne, pouring a bit into three glasses. “To think, here we are,” he said as he handed them their flutes. “I truly wish this was under drastically different circumstances, but sometimes we have to take what life serves us and make it for the best. You boys have grown into wonderful young men who your parents would be proud of.”

Balthazar lifted his champagne toward Jimmy in a toast. “To Jimmy and Dean, may your marriage be a happy one.”

Castiel and Jimmy froze as Balthazar drank from his glass, neither of them drinking their own. Their wide eyes met, realizing what it meant that Balthazar was at the wedding.

Balthazar smacked his lips together and immediately read the shift in the room. “What is it, who died?”

“Uh…” Jimmy started, shifting on his feet. Balthazar looked him up and down before giving Castiel the same once-over.

Their tuxes might be from the same tailor and both definitely meant for a wedding, but it was clear who was wearing the groom’s tux versus the best man’s tux.

“Castiel, why are you wearing Jimmy’s wedding tux?” Balthazar asked carefully, emphasizing the word wedding.

Castiel’s eyes went to the floor.

“It’s my fault, Uncle Bal, really,” Jimmy started, but Castiel’s hand whipped out to smack Jimmy’s chest.

“That’s not true, none of this is Jimmy’s fault,” Castiel argued.

The two of them began to talk over one another, trying to explain from their point of view what was going on. “I met Amelia in college-“ “They’re really perfect for each other-“ “Trying to find a loophole-“ “She’s been in the library for hours-“ “Running out of time-“ “Pregnant.”

Balthazar put his fingers to his mouth and let out an incredible whistle, one that would surely call any trained dog to his side in seconds. “Time out,” Balthazar insisted, setting his glass down on the table.

“Am I to understand that you,” Balthazar pointed to Jimmy, “are in love with a woman named Amelia, and therefore you,” Balthazar pointed to Castiel, “are taking his place in this wedding?”

The twins nodded in sync, earning a sigh from Balthazar.

“And this Amelia has been working to find a way out of the contract, but hasn’t been successful yet?”

Another nod.

“And she’s pregnant?”

Castiel nodded this time, Jimmy looked to the floor in what might have been shame except for the small smile that fell to his face every time his future child was brought up in conversation.

Balthazar was quiet for a moment before clapping Jimmy’s shoulders. “Congrats, my boy, but what bad timing you have.”

The lighthearted jab had Jimmy smiling full-out before looking over at Castiel. “Uncle Bal, I really feel awful having Castiel do this. Can you get us out of it, please?”

Balthazar grabbed his glass again and sat in one of the plush chairs. He drained the champagne and smacked his lips. “I am no business man or law man, for that matter. And knowing your father, I’m sure that contract is a twisted, wordy, piece of shit that will take more than a little maneuvering to get out of.”

His face turned forlorn. “I’m sorry boys. And while I don’t agree with Castiel taking your place, Jimmy, I find it very honorable. I just wish all of this hadn’t happened in the first place.”

Castiel sunk into a chair next to Balthazar. “You can say that again.”

The three of them were silent for a while, their heavy breaths and tinkering of last-minute details in the hall the only sounds in the room.

Until the door barged open, a tear-stained Amelia stumbling through it before slamming it closed.

“I can’t find a way out,” she wailed before collapsing on the floor, a crying mess. Jimmy went to her side, comforting her as best he could. His hopeless eyes looked to Castiel and Balthazar, knowing that their last shot of getting out of the contract was gone.

* * *

It took Jimmy and Castiel a little while to calm Amelia down enough to introduce her to Balthazar, who was delighted to see her and her barely-showing belly. Then Balthazar left and Amelia used the ensuite bathroom to freshen up and change.

She was the only wedding guest they’d added, after all.

A knock on the door gave them a thirty minute warning, and Amelia used that time to kiss Castiel on both cheeks, giving him a sad but grateful look before leaving to find a place to sit. Jimmy and Castiel were alone once more, both of them thinking about how today was another day in their lives that would change everything.

“Castiel…” Jimmy started, the tone of his voice conveying everything that Castiel would need to know.

Castiel nodded, his head bowed. Jimmy came over to kneel between Castiel’s knees in front of him, pulling his brother into a hug.

They didn’t cry, but it was as close as they would get today.

The five minute knock came, the wedding planner opening the door to take Jimmy to his place.

Castiel was left alone, with only his sad and hopeless reflection for company.

* * *

The doors to the hall were white with big, polished brass handles in the center. Castiel studied them, trying to push all of the screaming thoughts out of his mind.

This was it, he was doing this. There was no turning back now.

One nod to the attendants had them stepping forward to open the doors, revealing the path of the long, red carpet that trailed between the two sides of the hall. The benches were full on both sides, hundreds of people – most of whom were business associates – standing up as Castiel took the first few steps into the room.

Looking before him toward the end of the hall, Castiel saw his twin brother, looking smart in his tuxedo for once, and the tall Sam Winchester, shaggy hair tamed for the event. 

Castiel also saw the breathtaking man with a white corsage, his green eyes smiling. Castiel wondered how much of that smile was for show and how much of it was real.

His feet automatically stepped up at the end of the aisle, taking Dean’s offered hand. It was warm to the touch, and Dean didn’t let go once Castiel was standing in place beside him. They faced the priest at an angle, hands locked together between them.

“Dearly beloved,” the priest’s voice started, sounding grand in the large room, “we are gathered here today to honor the union of these two gentlemen.” He motioned toward Dean and Castiel.

“Dean Winchester,” Dean nodded, “and James Novak.”

Castiel’s eyes flitted briefly to his brother before looking back at the priest, nodding just as Dean had done.

There was no going back now.

The priest’s voice was a bit monotonous, which meant that Castiel zoned out more than he was willing to admit. Dean’s hand felt warm on his, and Castiel found himself surprised at the comfort he drew from that warmth. 

He thought back to the times in college when he’d research Dean Winchester on the internet, all of the impressive and wonderful things he read about the man. He thought back on all of the pictures he’d seen of Dean, how handsome he always looked.

Castiel snuck a glance at Dean to note that yes, he was that handsome in person too, even more so. His eyes were a bright green, his cheeks dotted with freckles.

Dean must have felt Castiel’s eyes on him, because he glanced over and winked.

Castiel blushed.

It came time for their vows, with the two of them facing each other directly. Castiel felt like he was drowning under the weight of Dean’s stare, but he listened intently to Dean’s vows, accepting the ring that Dean slid onto his finger.

Then it was Castiel’s turn. He felt like he was gargling salt water with the way his voice sounded, so much pressure and emotion whirling around in his mind. He hoped that Dean and the hoards of strangers chalked his voice up to happiness or nerves, rather than terror.

When Castiel turned to Jimmy for the ring, his twin grabbed his hand. Their eyes met, Jimmy’s conveying a very clear message – “This is your last chance to run.” Castiel squeezed Jimmy’s hand before taking the ring and turning to place it on Dean’s finger.

“I now pronounce you husbands!” the priest said, raising his arms in some sort of celebration. “You may kiss your groom.”

Dean had kissed Castiel many times the evening before, but while they were all surprising and unexpected, those were all chaste kisses.

Castiel had nothing to warn him for the full-body contact, Dean’s tongue in his mouth kiss that he was on the receiving end of now. He was surrounded by Dean, Dean’s leg hooked between his own, his hands holding Castiel close, and the taste of Dean surrounding him.

There was clapping, a singular holler from the direction of Sam Winchester, and then Dean was letting Castiel go. His hands didn’t leave Castiel, though, which was a good thing for how much Castiel stumbled on his feet.

To Castiel’s surprise, Dean leaned back in to rub his nose against Castiel, an intimate, playful movement that seemed odd following such a public, for lack of a better word  _ erotic _ , kiss. Dean seemed to be trying to tell Castiel something through his eyes, but Castiel didn’t know him well enough to read Dean’s thoughts like he could with Jimmy.

Dean winked, breaking the moment and stepped back, slipping Castiel’s hand in his and raising it into the air. There was more clapping and nearly everyone in the hall on their feet, making Castiel even more uncomfortable.

Had that many people just watched Dean molest him with his mouth?

Music began and Dean started down the steps, pulling Castiel along beside. He did his best to smile, hoping he didn’t look like a dope as he passed hundreds of strangers.

Dean walked them straight out the front door and into a waiting white limo that would drive them around the block for ten minutes while the guests migrated to the reception room.

The limo was silent.

* * *

Castiel barely kept up with anything at the reception. The limo dropped them off at a different door of the building than the one they’d left through so that they could walk straight into the party.

Dean practically dragged Castiel around the room, saying hello to everyone there by name. The guest list had been filled by their fathers mostly with people from the business world, so Castiel’s mind whirred with names and faces that he truly didn’t care about.

And of course, they were all introduced to him as James. Well, at least Dean called him Jimmy, and not James.

It was only when Mr. Winchester was nearby that Castiel was “James.”

Castiel remembered how much he’d had to drink the night before, so he sipped his champagne much slower throughout the evening. He wasn’t sure if that was better or worse – he wasn’t going to get a hangover, but he was sober enough to get annoyed with everything around him.

Win-lose, he supposed.

After a while, Castiel was able to excuse himself from Dean in order to visit with Jimmy and Amelia, who had found a place near the head table. Sam was sitting with them, and as Castiel approached it seemed that the three of them were getting along quite well.

Of course they would get along – Sam and Amelia were both pre-law. Not to mention that Sam seemed like an incredibly decent guy.

Jimmy stood when Castiel approached. “Hey, brother,” Jimmy said, obviously trying to read Castiel’s thoughts just by looking into his eyes. His arms spread to pull Castiel into a hug. “How are you holding up?” he asked, so that only Castiel could hear.

Castiel sighed, still holding on to Jimmy. “Still holding up,” he replied just as softly before they parted.

Amelia stood up, tears glistening in her eyes. “It was a beautiful ceremony,” she said, her comment obviously trying to point out the good things about the situation. Castiel nodded, kissing her on the cheek. Her hand squeezed his bicep to both give comfort and say thank you. Castiel smiled down at her.

Sam cleared his throat. “Well if y’all are going to have family time, I’ll go find my own brother.” He grinned and clapped Castiel on the back before heading into the party the way that Castiel had come out. The three of them stood there awkwardly for a minute, watching the madness that they were definitely not a part of.

“I’m going to get a refill,” Amelia said. Castiel could almost hear the obvious,  _ There’s something you need to talk about without me around _ , in between her words.

The twins watched her walk away before sitting.

“Is she drinking?” Castiel asked suddenly, his eyes widening. Jimmy chuckled and waved his hand.

“Nah, she found a gay bartender and he’s been mixing her virgin drinks on the D-L,” Jimmy explained. Castiel nodded, sitting back in his chair. He absentmindedly started fiddling with the new jewelry adorning his ring finger, not used to it yet.

“Listen,” Jimmy said, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. Castiel looked at him, seeing his usually laid-back twin’s face very serious. “I wanted to talk about, well… Tonight.”

Castiel was confused for a minute before he realized what Jimmy was insinuating. “What about tonight,” Castiel replied, his voice cautious.

Jimmy sighed. “You know you don’t have to do anything, right? You and Dean aren’t even really  _ together _ , and hell, it’s my name on the papers, anyway. But nobody, and I mean  _ nobody _ , can force you to do anything to consummate this marriage if you don’t want to. Punch his lights out if he tries anything you don’t want, seriously.”

Castiel chuckled, not really knowing how else to react. His laugh died off quickly, though.

The wedding night.

He hadn’t even let his mind wander this far, part of him still hoping that Amelia would have gotten them all out of this mess. But now that they were here…

“You, uh,” Jimmy continued, fiddling with his fingers awkwardly, “I mean, if you  _ want _ to, feel free, I guess.”

Castiel’s eyes snapped up to look at Jimmy’s face. His twin looked… broken? Definitely torn.

Castiel reached out to clasp Jimmy’s hands in his own. “I love you, Jimmy,” Castiel said simply. “Don’t you ever forget that.”

Jimmy nodded, reaching up to wipe an almost-tear from his eye. His hand came down on top of Castiel’s, so that they were both clinging to one another. “I love you too, Cassie.”

The smiles on their face, while small, were genuine. Castiel would have chosen to stay sitting in the off-to-the-side chair next to his brother over anything else in the world, but that was the moment that was chosen for the music to fade and a voice come over the microphone.

“Where are the two handsome grooms? Who’s ready for a first dance?”

Jimmy’s head dropped and he patted Castiel’s hand in his before letting him go. 

“Duty calls,” Castiel said, standing. He plastered on a smile and headed toward the center of the room.

The rest of the evening was a blur, at least until the elevator doors opened up to the penthouse suite of the nicest hotel around, leaving Dean and Castiel alone on their wedding night.

* * *

Dean stepped out of the elevator like he owned the place while Castiel was a little more cautious. It was more than just a hotel room, it was a luxury suite. 

Sure, Castiel had grown up in wealth, but he still would never be used to such lavish things like a two-thousand square foot hotel suite, complete with floor-to-ceiling windows and a private hot tub and miniature swimming pool on the balcony.

Some things were a little much, in his opinion.

“Care for a drink?” Dean called from the kitchen area, and Castiel followed the voice to find Dean holding a couple bottles of wine. “Do you prefer red or white?”

Castiel almost answered before spotting the glass-door refrigerator behind Dean, fully stocked with food and beverages. “Actually, I’d be totally happy with a coke,” he admitted, pointing at the drinks. Dean turned around and laughed.

“You know what, you’re singing a tune I know quite well,” Dean said, putting the wine down and pulling out a couple cans. He tossed one to Castiel, opening the other for himself. “We’ve had quite a bit to drink the past couple days anyway, right?”

Castiel nodded, snapping the soda open and taking a swig. They both let out the obligatory “ahhs” at the same time, and for the first time all evening Castiel let out a real laugh. When he looked back at Dean, it was to see the man staring intently at him, a smile on his face.

“Nothing beats a nice, cold coke,” Dean said, walking toward Castiel slowly. Castiel nodded, his body freezing up. Dean didn’t stop coming closer until their toes were touching. He was close enough that Castiel could smell him, the faint hints of his cologne, a bit of musk from the party of a reception, and the sweet, soda breath on his tongue.

Dean’s eyes were sparkling, trained on Castiel like he wanted…

“Fancy trying out the hot tub?” Castiel asked, taking a step toward the balcony door and therefore away from Dean. Dean followed, but didn’t get quite as close again.

“Did you pack a suit?” Dean asked. “I mean, besides the one you’ve already got on, of course.”

The joke was lame, but Castiel thought it was a bit funny anyway. But Dean had a point. “I guess not, didn’t realize we’d have a private pool.”

There was silence before Dean cleared his throat. “I mean,” he said, voice sounding a little bit… bashful? “It is  _ private _ , so…”

Castiel looked over at Dean to see that he was avoiding Castiel’s eyes. This was a moment that could change everything. Castiel’s mind whirred with the possibilities.

He could say no, which could put off any sort of intimacy, or even let Dean know that he wasn’t interested.

Or if he said no, Dean could suggest something different for them to do, like go straight to the bedroom.

Or Castiel could say yes, getting the two of them naked (or at least in boxers) into the hot tub as their first step.

Did Castiel want to take that first step?

One look at Dean’s slightly pink cheeks as he took another gulp of soda had Castiel making up his mind.

“Yeah, okay,” he said, smiling as Dean’s eyes snapped to Castiel. “I’m going to grab us some towels.”

Dean nodded as Castiel turned away, heading through a doorway which he assumed led to the bedroom and bathroom. He guessed correctly, finding an enormous bathroom complete with jacuzzi tub, shower with four showerheads, his-and-hers sinks, vanity table, toilet, and bidet. An ornamental table held probably a dozen towels of various sizes, and Castiel grabbed two of the large ones. He caught sight of his reflection in the mirror and froze, realizing that he was wearing entirely too much clothing for hot tubs.

Of course, the idea was to take  _ off _ the clothing…but Castiel would rather not give a strip show to Dean right now.

He set down his coke and the towels, removing his tux carefully. He folded them and stacked each piece neatly on the vanity – pants, shirt, jacket, bow tie, cummerbund. His shoes and socks he tucked under the table and then he was staring at his reflection in a plain white t-shirt and boxers.

With a sigh he removed those layers as well, wrapping one of the towels around his waist for modesty. He grabbed the other towel and his can and headed out of the room, hoping that he wasn’t about to make a fool of himself.

He was relieved to see that Dean was already in the hot tub, his clothes stacked on one of the deck chairs. He was fiddling with the nobs of the heating panel, so Castiel took the distraction to slip into the water without an audience.

Castiel found a seat adjacent to Dean, not sitting on the farthest side from the man but not too close either. He didn’t want to have Dean read into his chosen spot too much, so a happy medium was perfect.

Dean turned away from the panel then, apparently happy with the chosen temperature and jet pressure. He spread his arms along the back of the hot tub, relaxing into the water.

Castiel couldn’t help but stare at the strong chest bared before him. Dean was fit – not overly so, but the perfect amount. His arms and chest were defined and obviously strong, and Castiel’s eyes wouldn’t look away.

Dean reached for his soda and the movement made Castiel blink, blushing into a sip from his own can. 

There was awkward silence for a minute as the two men sat in the hot tub, not looking at one another, drinking their cokes. If Castiel had ever imagined his wedding night, this was not what he would have thought to imagine.

He should say something.

“It’s a nice-“

“So, I wanted to say-“

Both Dean and Castiel started talking at the same time, stopping immediately. They stared at one another awkwardly before Dean laughed. Castiel joined him, the entire situation too much.

“Oh my God,” Dean said, rubbing a hand through his hair and down his face. “This is just…”

When he didn’t finish his sentence, Castiel just answered, “Yeah.”

They watched each other thoughtfully for a minute before Dean opened his mouth to speak. “Listen, I just wanted to say,” he paused to set his can down on the rim of the hot tub, “I’ve never been the biggest fan of this whole…” Dean waved his hands between the two of them and Castiel nodded, understanding immediately. Dean sighed. “But I do want to say this: After doing all of this wedding preparation stuff over the past few months, I really have started to warm up to the idea. You’re a cool guy, and I like you a lot. I really do think we can make this work.” 

Silence rang all around them.

“If you want to, of course,” Dean added, sounding like he was an awkward teenager trying to cover up a story.

Castiel put his coke down on the edge like Dean had done and scratched the back of his head. Dean had a point – Castiel had been the one to do all of the wedding preparations with Dean and the two of them, while being the right amount of awkward, did get along pretty well, when Dean wasn’t putting on a show for their fathers’ friends. Not to mention that Dean was absolutely, drop dead gorgeous –

Not that Castiel had ever even allowed himself to think those words until now.

“Yeah, I think we can make it work too,” Castiel finally said, earning a smile from Dean.

“Also,” Dean continued, reaching for his drink, “I’m sorry about the…PDA last night and that kiss today. My dad said some things about how the wedding was affecting the company and how many shareholders would be around watching us, and it all got into my head. I know I caught you off guard, and it was a dick move.”

Castiel remembered how many kisses Dean was planting on him at the rehearsal dinner, and then the overwhelming kiss at the ceremony today. While it all felt somewhat aggressive and overbearing at the time, Dean had a point.

“It’s okay, Dean,” Castiel said truthfully, draping his arm along the back of the hot tub so that he could squeeze Dean’s hand where it rested. “I get it. I grew up in this corporate, rich, all-eyes-on-you world, too.”

Castiel was going to bring his hand back down under the water, but Dean had other ideas. He slid his fingers through Castiel’s so that they were entwined, Dean’s thumb rubbing affectionately on Castiel’s skin.

Castiel blushed, but was unable to pull away. The small gesture was entrancing, and it plus the way Dean was looking at him had all sorts of butterflies in his stomach. They grinned at each other like awkward teenagers until music started blaring from across the patio.

“Fuck…” Dean whispered to himself, pulling his hand from Castiel’s. He looked at him apologetically. “Sam’s the only one who would call me tonight, I gotta get it…”

Castiel waved him off and watched as Dean almost stood up before stopping himself awkwardly. Castiel realized that Dean was just as naked as he was, so he blushed and turned away, giving Dean a bit of privacy.

“Hello?” Dean said, pausing to listen to the phone. Castiel turned to look over, seeing Dean facing away from the hot tub. He’d grabbed a towel but only haphazardly wrapped it around his waist, so it was falling down slightly. His back was just as defined as his front, and with the way the towel was falling, Castiel could also see the swell of Dean’s ass starting. He bit his bottom lip, trying to hold in a groan.

“I know, Sam, you don’t have to fucking remind me,” Dean practically hissed into the phone, his voice full of annoyance. “Leave me alone, trust me, I  _ know _ .”

He pulled the phone from his ear and punched the screen, ending the call. Castiel watched as he held down the power button, waiting for the screen to go black before turning around. Castiel gave him what he hoped was a supportive smile.

It must have looked it, because Dean smiled back and walked back over to the hot tub. Castiel remembered to glance away this time – taking a long, closed-eye drink from his soda to finish the thing – as Dean got unwrapped and back in the water. When Castiel opened his eyes, Dean was sitting much closer than he had been before.

Castiel didn’t mind one bit.

“Little brothers, always think they know better than you,” Dean complained, but as always when he talked about Sam there was pride in his voice. He found Castiel’s hand and started playing with his fingers.

“Brothers are somehow always the worst and the best at the same time,” Castiel replied, watching Dean fiddle.

“You can say that again,” Dean mumbled. They were quiet for a moment, save for the splashing of the water in the tub. “Enough about brothers, tonight is about us.”

For a minute, Castiel almost replied that tonight was more about brothers than Dean realized, but he swallowed the thought. With the way Dean was looking at him and how soft his hands were, all Castiel wanted to think about was him and Dean and this moment.

Time seemed to go faster and slower all at the same time as Dean started to lean in, Castiel mirroring. Then their hands weren’t the only thing connected between them – their lips were pressed together and Castiel’s heartbeat thumped even harder in his chest.

Dean’s free hand came up to cup Castiel’s face and gently tilt his head so that their noses weren’t smushed anymore, not that Castiel minded. Dean’s fingers slid along his jawline, coaxing his mouth open.

This second kiss of the day was much slower than the first, very public one, but it seemed all the more intense and surprising. Dean was gentle, his tongue easing into Castiel’s mouth and exploring. Castiel found himself leaning into the kiss, completely lost in the moment.

It was when the kiss broke, gently and sweet, that Castiel really realized what was happening. “Should we…take this inside?” Dean whispered against Castiel’s lips, his hand still holding their faces close together. Castiel blushed, immediately aware of his mostly hard erection in the water, only inches away from Dean’s own nude form.

“Uh, yeah,” Castiel said, nodding awkwardly and making their foreheads bump. Dean chuckled and stole a chaste kiss before pulling back.

Castiel missed the touch of Dean’s fingers immediately.

“I’ll meet you inside, then,” Dean said, turning to climb out of the hot tub. This time he didn’t hesitate, or give Castiel a look that said  _ Turn away _ . He merely climbed out and grabbed his towel, wrapping himself just as haphazardly as before.

He wasn’t wrapped quickly enough, though, for Castiel to miss the fully naked view of Dean Winchester, just a glimpse that left him craving more.

Dean slipped inside, turning to wink quickly over his shoulder at Castiel. The large windows let Castiel watch as Dean went down the hallway where the bedroom was until he was out of sight.

A moment passed when Castiel was frozen, mind whirring at where his night was going. He thought back to Jimmy’s words at the reception –  _ “Nobody can force you to do anything to consummate this marriage” _ – and swallowed deeply.

Here Castiel was, mere hours later, one hundred percent ready to do anything and everything with Dean Winchester that he’d never let himself imagine.

With a mind of its own, his cock twitched under the water, imagining the possibilities of what would happen inside of that bedroom. With that, Castiel practically jumped out of the hot tub, grabbing his towel and drying off on his way inside.

He didn’t have a lot of time to think between the hot tub and the bedroom, his body moving of its own accord. Once he was in the doorway, it was to see Dean laying out on the bed, towel draped casually across his lap like it wasn’t hiding something delicious underneath.

A relieved smile graced Dean’s face as he watched Castiel come closer, like he thought Castiel wasn’t going to follow him inside after all. In the moment, Castiel couldn’t imagine a reason why he wouldn’t have.

When Castiel was close enough to the bed, Dean reached out and entwined their fingers again. Castiel was gripping his towel in front of him with his free hand, and in what he was sure was the smoothest move of his entire life, he rolled onto the bed to lay next to Dean, his towel still covering himself.

They both propped up on their elbows, turned to face each other and grinning like teenagers.

“Hey,” Dean said, fingers squeezing Castiel’s hand.

Castiel squeezed back. “Hello, Dean.”

A breath passed before they both surged forward, the energy in the room not letting them wait any longer. This kiss was not like the one in the church earlier – surprising and intense – nor was it like the last kiss in the hot tub – slow and exploring. No, this kiss was so much more.

Erotic, demanding, yearning, suggestive. This kiss had no question of where it was going or what either man wanted as an outcome, this was the kind of kiss that only led one place.

Castiel pulled his hand out of Dean’s fingers and slipped his arm around Dean’s back to pull him close. Their chests were still damp from the water, still warm. Now there was even more of a heat being shared as well, one that was bubbling from deep inside of them.

Dean groaned, his chest rumbling in response to the closeness. Their towels were trapped between them, but that was all that separated the two. Dean’s hand followed Castiel’s lead in exploration, sliding to rest at the small of Castiel’s back before inching lower. 

Wanting more, Castiel pressed harder against Dean, leaning forward just enough that Dean was now laying on his back with Castiel draped haphazardly across him.

Dean’s hand found Castiel’s ass and squeezed, kneading the flesh there. The kiss was now less organized, more a clashing of lips and tongues, heavy breaths being shared. Dean slipped his other arm around Castiel, both of his hands now encouraging Castiel’s hips to begin a smooth rolling motion.

Castiel’s cock was not opposed to the stimulation, so he began humping downward against his towel and Dean’s hard form.

“Fuck…” Dean groaned, moving his own body upward in time with Castiel. He bit at Castiel’s bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth deliciously. Just as Castiel got his rhythm, Dean suddenly pushed him off, making Castiel roll to his back. He was about to complain, but Dean grabbed the towels from between them and threw them to the floor before climbing on top of Castiel now, lining their cocks up between them.

All Castiel could think as Dean’s mouth descended on his once more was how glorious it was to feel Dean’s throbbing cock aligned with his own.

Their hips moved haphazardly now, Castiel’s hands exploring Dean’s flesh now as Dean’s arms trapped Castiel underneath him. They kissed and humped, all thought and hesitation at the situation left outside in the hot tub. All either man could think of now was each other, their lust brewing perfectly.

Every movement of their bodies caught Castiel’s cockhead against Dean’s treasure trail, edging him closer to his orgasm. It was when he was near the brink that Dean’s body above his slowed, gently lifting high enough that they were barely touching anymore.

Dean broke the kiss with a wet smack, breathing heavily. Castiel opened his eyes, confused and slightly frustrated at the sudden stop.

“What’s wrong?” Castiel panted, his hands moving to Dean’s shoulders, what he felt was a safe place if Dean was having second thoughts.

_ God _ , Castiel hoped he wasn’t having second thoughts, because this was easily the most intense experience of his entire life and he did not want it to end now.

Dean breathed deeply twice more before meeting Castiel’s eye. “Um,” Dean swallowed. “Condom?”

Castiel had always prided himself on being able to hear unsaid words, and he was nearly positive he was getting this message loud and clear. Dean wanted to fuck him, not just frot.

While Castiel hadn’t ever had penetrative anal sex before, his body was screaming for more and all he could do was nod.

The relieved look on Dean’s face made Castiel’s stomach flip before Dean pushed himself away from Castiel and off the bed, crossing the room quickly to dig through his small overnight bag. Castiel propped himself up on his elbows, staring unabashedly at Dean in all his naked glory. Dean’s cock was hard and red, jutting out from his body with pride. Castiel licked his lips unconsciously, knowing that he wanted to taste that cock.

But right now he was mentally preparing himself. He sighed in relief when he saw the bottle of lube in Dean’s hand, hoping that they would slow things down and take their time. Castiel had no idea how experienced Dean was, but he hoped Dean would understand and be careful with Castiel’s inexperience.

Dean returned to the bed, tossing the condom packet to the side and putting the bottle of lube close. Castiel smiled as Dean lowered himself back on top of Castiel, lining them up for a kiss much slower. Their tongues slid together sweetly now, hands grasping at skin. Dean’s hand reached down to grab Castiel’s knee, pulling it up so that his leg was wrapped around Dean’s hip. The position pressed their cocks closer together and Castiel groaned this time, wanting more.

“Dean –“ Castiel whispered, hoping to push them ahead. Dean smiled, reaching for the bottle. He started to kiss Castiel again as the cap snicked open and Castiel was somewhat grateful for the distraction. If Dean’s fingers were about to slide between his cheeks, he’d need some kisses for bravery.

“I’d, uh,” Dean started, his lips still on Castiel’s as he spoke, “I’d like you to fuck me, please.”

Castiel’s eyes snapped open, shocked at the one-eighty just thrown at him. He’d assumed – because that’s all it had been, was an assumption – that Dean would want to fuck him, not the other way around. Dean read the shock on Castiel’s face and gave him a bashful shrug.

“Is that okay with you?”

Castiel found himself nodding, taking the bottle of lube that was dropped into his hand. From where he was, underneath Dean, he emptied some of the slick substance onto his fingers before laying the bottle close by. Dean’s head fell forward so that he was in the crook of Castiel’s neck, letting Castiel reach around his body to slide his fingers between Dean’s cheeks. 

Dean breath sharpened as Castiel rubbed a finger flat along his crack, brushing firmly against his hole. Castiel couldn’t help but smile, feeling a bit of power shift. Sure, Dean was the one “on top” at the moment, but it was Castiel’s fingers teasing Dean’s hole, Castiel making Dean’s breath hitch, Castiel’s pointer finger slicked up and pressing inside.

Dean mouthed at Castiel’s collarbone and neck as one finger worked inside, stretching Dean’s rim gently as he eased in and out. More lube was added before Castiel tried a second finger, Dean’s teeth nipping gently in response. Other than the heavy breathing of them both, the room was silent, Dean barely allowing any sounds of pain or pleasure escape.

When Castiel was working three fingers in and out of Dean with little resistance, Dean emerged from the crook of his neck and kissed Castiel on the lips. Castiel’s hand stopped moving, his fingers crooking inside of Dean, searching…

A soft cry from Dean as his body jolted let Castiel know that he’d found Dean’s prostate. He rubbed the place for a moment, eyes open and watching Dean’s face above his. “Fuck, fuck, fuck…” Dean whimpered before he sat up, jostling Castiel’s hand out of his ass. Dean was now straddling Castiel’s upper legs, their hard and leaking cocks knocking against one another.

“Fuck me, please…” Dean said wantonly, reaching for the condom. His fingers fumbled as he opened the package, especially when Castiel’s lube covered hand took Dean’s erection and began pumping. “Oh, fuck…”

Dean finally got the condom out of the wrapper, throwing the shiny package away like it had angered him. He rolled the condom onto Castiel’s cock carefully before grabbing the lube and coating Castiel completely, Dean’s hand warm around him.

Castiel couldn’t wait to feel Dean’s hot body around him, it would be even better.

Dean apparently couldn’t wait either, because in mere seconds, Dean scooted up Castiel’s body to position his ass above Castiel’s cock. For a fleeting moment, Castiel worried about Dean’s knees, if he was going to be fucking himself on Castiel’s cock, bouncing up and down…

But then Dean began to lower himself onto Castiel, and all Castiel could do was grab Dean’s hips to steady them both.

The tight heat was more than Castiel could have ever imagined, but that wasn’t even the most wonderful thing. No, the most wonderful thing was the look of ecstasy on Dean’s face as he impaled himself, carefully and slowly, until he was seated fully on Castiel’s cock.

Dean’s eyes were closed, his head lolling on his shoulders, his chest heaving deep breaths. His cock was bobbing of its own accord, slimy pre-come oozing from the tip. 

Castiel had never seen anything so beautiful in his entire life.

Castiel waited, watching Dean as a slew of emotions crossed his face. Castiel breathed deeply, keeping himself and his cock under control as best he could. He wanted this to last, something he’d never have expected.

Of course, he hadn’t expected to be with Dean Winchester on their wedding night, either. This was all unexpected territory.

Castiel’s fingers flexed on Dean’s hips, his body wanting to move but also wanting to wait for Dean. Dean’s eyes opened at the slight squeeze, though, looking down at Castiel with a lazy smile. “You ready, cowboy?” Dean asked, smirk growing.

“I think you’re the cowboy here,” Castiel quipped, “now ride.”

Dean seemed entirely too pleased at Castiel’s response, lifting himself up and almost off of Castiel’s cock before slamming back home. Castiel couldn’t stop the grunt of pleasure as the suction of Dean’s ass worked up and down his shaft, squeezing him like his hand never could.

Dean took Castiel’s order to ride to heart – soon he was bouncing up and down like Castiel was the finest stallion around, worrying his lip between his teeth in concentration. Castiel did what he could, his hands guiding Dean’s hips and meeting each downward bounce with his own upward thrust.

Castiel had never felt anything like it.

Dean’s cock was slapping down against Castiel’s stomach with each movement, pre-come sticking just below his belly button. Castiel removed one hand from Dean’s hip, bringing it to grasp Dean’s cock. With the constant movement, he couldn’t get a stroke going, but it seemed that the squeeze of his hand was enough to get Dean’s attention.

Dean’s movements started to become erratic, his up-and-down bounces peppered with uncontrollable jerks of pleasure, especially when he angled himself so that Castiel’s cockhead brushed against his prostate. Castiel did his best to keep his own thrusts under control, but the tight heat of Dean’s ass was getting to be more than he could take.

Dean was slowing down, heavy pants leaving his mouth. Castiel took a chance and decided to switch things up – he grabbed Dean’s hips tightly again and pulled their chests together before rolling so that Dean came to lay on the bed, Castiel now hovering above. Dean’s legs relaxed from their position around Castiel’s hips, his head falling back to the pillow.

“Smooth,” Dean commented, the word cut off at the end as Castiel snapped his hips. “Fuck…”

Castiel took that as approval, shifting his weight on his arms so that he could start a dirty grind down against Dean. This position didn’t have Castiel moving as far out of Dean as before, but the added pressure and depth of his thrusts more than made up for the difference. Once he got into a groove that rubbed Dean’s prostate with every thrust, he brought his hand back to Dean’s cock and began pulling it in time.

“Oh, Jesus,” Dean said, his eyes squeezing shut. “Fuck, yeah.”

Castiel couldn’t help himself, he leaned down to suck at Dean’s neck as he kept up his movements, doing everything he could from pressing against Dean’s prostate to swiping his cockhead with his thumb to push Dean toward orgasm.

It was as Castiel was suckling Dean’s pulse point that he felt his own orgasm coming, his hips stuttering but his determination keeping him moving. “Dean –“ Castiel grunted, biting Dean’s skin carefully. “Dean, I’m gonna…”

“Come for me, come  _ in _ me,” Dean said softly into Castiel’s ear, and then Castiel’s world was exploding. He rode through his orgasm as he spilled into the condom, his hand jerking Dean until he felt wetness covering their stomachs and his fingers.

“Oh, yes,  _ Jimmy… _ ”


	4. Post-Wedding

There wasn’t a honeymoon.

That was something that had been decided not by Dean or Castiel (or Jimmy), but by John Winchester. The contract had ordered a wedding, but it hadn’t required any time off from work for any sort of a vacation afterward.

Dean was expected to show up to work on the Monday following the wedding, so that’s exactly what he did.

Castiel had done his best to collect himself after Dean groaned Jimmy’s name when he came that night, knowing that Dean hadn’t said it maliciously. In fact, Dean probably thought it would help connect the two of them, associating his husband’s name with his orgasm.

He didn’t have a clue that his husband wasn’t actually Jimmy Novak.

They had cleaned themselves up before falling asleep in the plush hotel bed, both of them exhausted (physically for sure, but also quite emotionally exhausted for Castiel) from their long day and subsequent extracurricular activities. They were awoken by the arrival of their brunch the next morning, delivered by two hotel workers who did their best to avert their eyes from the half-naked men who opened the door.

Dean fell into an easy charm over breakfast, entertaining Castiel with stories of his childhood, stories of Sam, funny things that had happened at work the week before as his coworkers teased him about his nuptials. The conversation as a whole was much more open than any of the conversations they’d had previously, which showed Castiel even more of the man that Dean Winchester was.

Castiel could only listen and smile, completely enamored with the man before him. If he had been pushing feelings away before, on account of the arrangement and awkwardness of him replacing Jimmy, those feelings were pouring forth now, dam broken by the incredible sex the night before.

Before they knew it, Castiel was going home with Dean, since that’s where they would live together for now. Dean’s apartment was huge – the penthouse of one of the tallest buildings downtown – and was plenty big enough for the two of them.

“We can always find a place of our own, though, if you’d like,” Dean had said once he’d dropped their bags in the closet, one side emptied just for Castiel.

Castiel could only nod, not sure of what to do or say now that everything had happened.

It was one thing to pretend to be Jimmy in preparation for a wedding, and even  _ at _ said wedding, because he’d been able to plan for it.

But he hadn’t even begun to think about life  _ after _ the wedding.

Monday when Dean went to work, Castiel returned to the mansion to gather his things. He wasn’t sure if he was grateful or disappointed that Jimmy and Amelia were at a doctor’s appointment – he didn’t know if he wanted to talk to his twin about the wedding night and life as a husband.

He had no idea what he’d even say.

They’d only exchanged a few text messages, Jimmy making sure Castiel was alright, Castiel insisting that Dean was taking care of his every need.

Jimmy had no idea what had gone down between Castiel and Dean, and Castiel wasn’t sure how he would ever be able to explain it all to Jimmy. 

The days passed quickly, to Castiel’s surprise. Monday evening, as Dean came back from work, Castiel was swept up in a passionate kiss. It was surprising, but not unwanted.

They spent a couple hours in the bedroom before either of them could even think about dinner.

Castiel went to the office with Dean on Wednesday, after settling himself into Dean’s apartment comfortably. They separated at the elevator, Dean kissing Castiel’s cheek like he’d done it a million times before.

Castiel hoped the heat of his cheeks wasn’t too noticeable to everyone he passed in the hallways.

And so their routine began. Wake up, dance around the kitchen making and eating breakfast, travel to the office. Kiss at the elevator, sometimes meet for lunch if one or the other of them didn’t have a lunch meeting or other plans. Travel home together most evenings, unless Dean was needed for executive events. Have filthy sex before eating dinner and usually watching a movie in bed.

It was a routine that Castiel quickly grew an affinity toward.

The only thing that pulled Castiel out of his fairytale was a single word:

Jimmy.

Castiel found out quickly that Dean enjoyed using pet names, things like Sweetheart or Babe, but every once and a while he called Castiel Jimmy.

Castiel was getting better at having no reaction with each uttering of the name, but he was pretty sure that Dean could tell that he was uncomfortable for some reason with the name, as he upped his pet name use for quite a while after calling Castiel Jimmy.

Castiel usually just distracted Dean from his reaction with a kiss, or a blowjob, or a firm hand cupping Dean’s crotch if they were somewhere semi-public and he felt like being a tease.

All in all, with each day that passed, Castiel knew that he was falling for the man who he had married, and with the looks that Dean gave him and the lingering touches, Castiel was fairly certain Dean was falling for him, too.

* * *

A little over a month after the wedding, Jimmy cornered Castiel and grilled him for details, angry at first that Castiel had kept his sex with Dean from Jimmy for so long, but quickly realizing that Castiel hadn’t been coerced or forced into anything physical.

In fact, Jimmy was the first one to say the words.

“You are in love with Dean Winchester,” he said, his finger pointing accusingly at Castiel one evening as they ate dinner together. Dean was at a business dinner with a few other executives, and while Castiel had been invited, he insisted that Dean go alone so he could hang out with Jimmy. Amelia was pregnant enough that Jimmy barely ever left her side, but they both knew they needed a twin night.

“I, uh, n-what?” Castiel eloquently replied, his eyes wide. He’d been talking to Jimmy about Dean, naturally, but apparently somewhere in the middle of his speech Jimmy had come to the conclusion that Castiel was in love.

“Yeah. You,” Jimmy poked Castiel’s chest, “are in love with Dean Winchester. It’s all over your face, don’t tell me it’s not true. I know you better than I know myself.”

Castiel swallowed, looking away from his brother. “Um.” He had nothing to say to disagree with Jimmy, his heart pounding.

Jimmy was right.

Castiel looked up at his brother again, seeing a grin on Jimmy’s face. “I’m so happy for you, Cassie.” Jimmy was sincere, the look on his face reminding Castiel of the way he often looked at Jimmy and Amelia, happy for their love. “Unless he’s being a douche, then I’ll kick his ass for you.”

Castiel laughed, shaking his head. “As much as it surprises me to say it, I don’t think Dean Winchester could ever be a douche. He knows how to work the business world and sometimes puts on appearances, but he never treats me like anything but an equal.”

* * *

Castiel and Jimmy planned a dinner party that evening, deciding it was past time for Jimmy and Dean to properly meet. They’d have it at Jimmy and Amelia’s new apartment and they decided to invite Balthazar as well. It would be a Novak family event, one for the books.

Of course the day before their chosen date was when Amelia’s water broke a few weeks early, postponing the dinner party.

Castiel was at the hospital as Claire was born, giving the doctors and nurses a bit of a headache as they kept getting father and uncle confused. 

Castiel was the third person to hold baby Claire, after Jimmy and Amelia. The minute her tiny hand wrapped around his finger, he knew that he was gone. He would do anything for that baby, and he knew that all of the sacrifices he’d made to keep Jimmy and Amelia together – specifically, taking Jimmy’s place in the marriage – was well worth it to ensure that the little girl had a proper family.

Dean wasn’t at the hospital, so there was no drama or confusion when James Novak was listed as father on the birth certificate.

A month later they finally were able to have their dinner party. Amelia’s mom carted Claire away for the weekend, giving the new parents time to themselves. 

Castiel and Dean arrived first, Jimmy shaking Dean’s hand with a stern look on his face. “Are you taking care of my brother, Dean Winchester?” Jimmy asked seriously, sounding harsher than Castiel had ever heard before. It was all Castiel could do to not laugh, Jimmy’s normally easygoing attitude gone for the moment.

Castiel’s hand found the small of Dean’s back, letting him know silently that Castiel was here for him. Dean nodded. “Of course. He’s the most important person in my life, I’d never let anything happen to him.”

Jimmy studied Dean for a few more seconds before letting go of his hand and grinning. “Good! Now that all that is taken care of, let’s drink!”

Dean laughed, the tension of the moment dissipating as they moved into the kitchen. Jimmy had started to prepare dinner, but Castiel immediately saw that his brother hadn’t progressed at cooking since the last time they’d eaten together. He ignored the rolled eyes as he moved to work at the counter, chopping and seasoning things the correct way. 

Jimmy poured wine for each of them, Amelia accepting hers enthusiastically. “Still grateful for every drink I can have now!” she exclaimed, taking a long gulp. “Almost ten months is too long without wine.” The three men laughed, none of them quite understanding but loving that Amelia was having a good time.

A knock on the door welcomed Balthazar and more introductions were passed around. 

“I already got the family glare from that one,” Dean said to Balthazar, motioning at Jimmy. “No need to tell me to take care of my man.” Dean pulled Castiel into his side as Balthazar watched carefully. Castiel realized that everyone in the room but Dean knew about the twin switch, suddenly feeling guilty. He disguised his emotion by pecking Dean’s cheek and turning back to the food, only half-listening to the conversation that continued behind him. 

Balthazar and Amelia disappeared into the other room with another bottle of wine, warnings from Jimmy to not get too carried away or they wouldn’t be able to enjoy Castiel’s cooking. Jimmy and Dean stayed in the kitchen with Castiel, the three of them chatting like old friends.

Castiel couldn’t help but smile at his brother and husband getting along. It made his stomach flutter in altogether pleasant ways.

Once things were in the oven, they went to the living room to join Amelia and Balthazar. There were two empty bottles of wine on the table in front of them, a third open and in their glasses. Jimmy and Castiel caught each other’s eyes, knowing how both Amelia and Balthazar could be when they were tipsy. Hilarity was sure to ensue.

Balthazar was wildly telling a story of the time he was in Monte Carlo with a group of strippers when Amelia stood up suddenly, a determined look on her face.

“Babe?” Jimmy asked, holding his hand out toward her. She smiled at him.

“I’ll be right back,” she said, winking before she left the room. She was a bit wobbly on her feet, making the men chuckle at her retreat.

“Wonder what’s in her head,” Jimmy muttered before motioning for Balthazar to continue. The story grew wilder now that there wasn’t a lady in the room, Balthazar’s explanations passing risqué.

Just as he was heating up for what was sure to be a grand punch line, Amelia swept back into the room, eyes on Jimmy.

Everyone looked up at Amelia, wondering what she was going to do now.

“I have something I need to say,” Amelia announced. Jimmy put his wine glass down on the coffee table, his full attention on the love of his life. Castiel leaned back, having been a witness to many of Amelia’s tipsy speeches. They were always memorable.

“There are many things in my life that I am proud of. I’m proud of my sweet baby, I’m proud of her father. I’m proud of the life we’ve created together. I’m proud of the things we have prepared for our future.”

Castiel couldn’t take his eyes off of Jimmy, the love in his eyes obvious. 

“There’s just one thing that could make it better.”

Castiel’s eyes widened as Amelia sunk down to her knees in front of Jimmy, her hand opening to reveal a gold band. Jimmy’s breath hitched.

“James Novak, will you marry me?”

The room was silent, Jimmy and Castiel’s faces beaming with identical smiles. Castiel could feel happy tears forming in the corners of his eyes as he watched Jimmy nod, grabbing Amelia’s hands and pulling her in for a kiss.

When Castiel looked over at Dean, though, he didn’t see a happy smile.

Dean’s brow was furrowed, his eyes looking between the kissing couple and Castiel. In fact, he did not look happy in the least.

Castiel was confused for a moment, not understanding why Dean wouldn’t be happy for his brother-in-law, until he realized what had Dean so ruffled.

Amelia just proposed to  _ James Novak _ .

Dean thought  _ he _ was married to James Novak.

“Dean –“ Castiel started, but Dean stood abruptly and stormed from the room, the apartment door slamming behind him before Castiel could even set his wine glass down.

“Oh my God,” Jimmy said, realizing what had happened for himself. Castiel was frozen in place, standing by the coffee table facing the doorway where Dean had disappeared. The tears that had been happy were now spilling down his cheeks, panicked instead.

* * *

After a hundred tearful apologies from Amelia, and a hundred  _ It’s not your faults _ from Castiel in reply, Balthazar ushered Amelia out of the apartment, promising the twins that he would take care of Jimmy’s fiancé for the rest of the evening while they figured out what needed to be done.

The apartment was silent when the door closed behind them.

Jimmy stood in the doorway that Dean had stormed through in his escape, looking at Castiel where he sat on the couch, head in his hands. Nothing was said for a few minutes, but nothing needed to be said.

Jimmy could feel Castiel’s anguish and worry as if it were his own.

This was all his fault.

Jimmy was the one who was supposed to marry Dean. Jimmy was the one who screwed everything up by falling in love with Amelia, then getting her pregnant, then allowing Castiel to take his place in the wedding.

Jimmy was the one who let his brother fall in love with a man even as they kept secret their real identities. And now Jimmy was the one who had driven Dean away.

Jimmy moved to sit on the couch next to Castiel, pulling his brother into his arms. Castiel went easily, leaning into the touch as he had done a thousand times growing up. Jimmy’s arms surrounded him, their breaths mingling. Castiel pushed his tear-streaked face into Jimmy’s shirt, knowing that Jimmy wouldn’t care about stains.

“I’m going to fix this, Cassie,” Jimmy promised, his mind already going a thousand miles a minute. “I promise you, I’m going to fix this.”

Castiel didn’t answer, but he didn’t need to. Jimmy knew what Castiel was thinking. 

_ It’s not your problem to fix.  _

_ This is unfixable.  _

_ Dean will never forgive me.  _

_ I love him. _

After a few more minutes of comforting, Jimmy stood Castiel up and ushered him to the guest bedroom, pulling off Castiel’s shoes and pants before tucking him into the bed. He kissed Castiel’s forehead and brushed his fingers through his hair for a minute until he knew Castiel was lulling toward sleep.

Then Jimmy slipped back into the kitchen.

As he turned the stove off, ensuring that the house wouldn’t burn down while his brother slept, his fingers dialed Dean’s cell phone number. The call rang and rang until Dean’s answering machine message sounded, the professional recitation making Jimmy hang up quickly. 

He dialed again.

This time the phone only rang once before it was sent to voicemail. Obviously, Dean rejected Jimmy’s call.

For a brief moment, Jimmy wondered if Dean’s cell phone was registering that “Castiel” was calling him, because it would only assume that if Dean thought he was married to Jimmy, the other twin would be Castiel.

Jimmy shook his head and dialed again, voicemail answering before any rings at all this time. Dean’s phone was off.

He stuck his head in to check on Castiel once more, seeing his brother holding the extra pillow like a teddy bear in his sleep, before grabbing his keys and heading out the door. He didn’t know exactly what he was doing, but something had to be done.

He pointed his car toward Dean and Castiel’s place, hoping that Dean wasn’t imaginative enough to go anywhere else but home.

* * *

It was almost funny how easy it was to get buzzed up to Dean’s apartment. The parking attendant waved Jimmy through with a quick, “Nice rental car,” while the security man said, “Welcome back, Mister Jimmy.”

Jimmy just gave them both a tight-lipped smile as he headed up, fingers fiddling with Castiel’s keyring.

The lights were off as Jimmy opened the door, making him think that he was walking into an empty apartment. He was already trying to think of any places he could look for Dean – perhaps he could call his brother Sam – when he heard clinking of glasses in the kitchen.

Jimmy followed the noise to find Dean pouring himself a drink, what appeared to be at least his second or third whiskey since he’d gotten home. Dean didn’t notice Jimmy for a minute until he’d knocked the drink back, but once he saw Jimmy standing there he slammed the glass down on the counter.

“What are you doing here,  _ Jimmy _ ?” Dean spat, anger in his voice. “Come to make even more of a fool of me?”

Dean started pouring another glass, so Jimmy stepped around the counter. Silently he grabbed a tumbler, holding it out for Dean to fill.

Dean studied Jimmy’s face for a minute before pouring him three fingers. He then turned around, taking his tumbler and the whiskey bottle into the den to sit on the lavish couch.

Jimmy followed silently.

They sat for a minute, just studying each other. Finally Dean spoke.

“What do you want?”

Jimmy sighed, leaning forward to put his glass on the coffee table.

“It’s not his fault, Dean,” Jimmy stated simply. “Cassie did nothing wrong. He was only trying to help me.”

“He did  _ nothing wrong _ ?” Dean repeated, voice rising. “No, he did nothing wrong…just lied to me for the past…what? Year? How long has it been Castiel and not Jimmy?”

Jimmy looked down at his hands. “The whole time. It’s always been Castiel.”

Dean harrumphed, pouring more whiskey into his glass. “Am I really that repulsive that you didn’t want to marry me yourself?”

Jimmy wasn’t sure if he was meant to answer that question, but he let it lead him into the story. He told Dean about their upbringing, about how their father made the arrangement with John Winchester when they were just boys. About how their parents died, leaving them to only each other. About how he met Amelia in college, about how they fell in love. About how Amelia worked hard to try to find a way, any way, to get Jimmy out of the contract, so that they could be together.

About how Amelia asked Castiel to take Jimmy’s place in the meantime, until she could find a way out.

About how Amelia became pregnant.

About how Castiel loved Jimmy and Amelia so much that he was willing to give up his own life for his brother, how he had been the one to do the cake tastings and the dinners and the tux fittings. 

About how, as the months progressed, Jimmy watched his brother fall in love with a man who was betrothed to his twin.

Dean was surprisingly silent through the entire explanation, whiskey undrunk in his hand. He was staring at the floor, face unreadable.

“It wasn’t until just before Claire was born that I realized it,” Jimmy finished up. He paused until Dean looked up at him. “Castiel hasn’t really ever been pretending to be me, because you never knew me well enough to compare. You’ve been with Castiel this whole time, it’s Castiel who married you, and it’s Castiel who fell in love with you. Castiel is in love with you. Sometime in all of the time he was taking my place, he found something in you to love.”

Jimmy stood. Dean blinked quickly, trying to keep unshed tears in his eyes.

“I truly hope that you can find it in your own heart to love my brother back, because I believe the person who holds my brother’s heart is the luckiest man in the world.”

With that, Jimmy turned and left the apartment, hoping that Dean Winchester would come to his senses.

* * *

Amelia texted to let Jimmy know she was staying at Balthazar’s to sober up before returning home, that she loved him, and to tell Castiel she was sorry once again.

For the first time in what seemed like years, Jimmy and Castiel slept in the same bed snuggled together. A few times in the night Jimmy was awoken by Castiel sniffling or muttering in his sleep, to which Jimmy immediately comforted his twin back to sweet dreams.

Castiel was still sleeping when Jimmy woke the next morning to his stomach growling. He realized that they hadn’t ever gotten around to eating dinner last night, so decided to head to the kitchen to make Castiel’s favorites.

Just as the griddle was heating up, a knock sounded on the door. Jimmy put down the pancake batter and turned the griddle off before going to answer the door.

He opened it to see a disheveled Dean Winchester, still wearing the same clothes from the night before and with bags under his eyes. He looked at Jimmy, a picture of regret.

“I am in love with him, too.”

Jimmy’s stomach flipped at Dean’s words, understanding immediately what Castiel had always said about how happy he was for Jimmy and Amelia. It was never a jealous feeling, of someone taking center stage of his brother’s world but always just a true happiness.

Now Jimmy knew that his brother loved and was loved in return, and Jimmy couldn’t be happier.

Jimmy smiled, stepping aside to allow Dean into the apartment. He hadn’t noticed it, but when he turned he saw Castiel standing behind him staring at Dean. Dean saw Castiel at the same moment, the two of them frozen in place.

Jimmy nodded, knowing they needed a moment alone, so he closed the door and patted them both on the back. “I’ll be making breakfast in the kitchen, when you’re ready for it.”

With that, Castiel and Dean were alone.

They moved to sit in the living room, finding themselves in the exact places that they’d been sitting when Amelia proposed to Jimmy. Dean found himself looking over at that spot, his mind whirring with a million  _ what if’s _ to change the past twelve hours.

Before Dean could say anything, Castiel spoke.

“I’m so sorry, Dean.”

Dean’s hand on Castiel’s stopped any more of an explanation. “You don’t need to say that, Jimmy told me everything.”

While Castiel trusted his brother implicitly, he was still nervous at what had been said. “What do you mean by everything?” Castiel asked.

Dean shrugged, playing with Castiel’s fingers the same way that he had on the night of their wedding. “About the arrangement from your perspective, about meeting Amelia and falling in love. About how you were doing it for them, swapping places. About how it’s been you this whole time, not Jimmy.” Dean looked up at Castiel. “About how you fell in love with me.”

Castiel’s eyes widened and he looked toward the kitchen, unsure if he felt betrayed that Jimmy told Dean that or relieved that he didn’t have to say the words himself. Dean squeezing his fingers brought his attention back to his husband.

“I’m in love with you too, Castiel Novak.”

Castiel thought his heart was going to fly out of his chest, hearing his name on Dean’s lips for the first time. Just like last night, when he had tears of happiness in his eyes at Amelia’s proposal, tears started to form. A small smile came to Dean’s face and he cupped Castiel’s cheek, brushing his thumb carefully across Castiel’s skin.

“Castiel  _ Winchester _ , I should say,” Dean corrected himself. At this, Castiel smiled.

“I love you, Dean Winchester,” Castiel replied before he was being kissed, Dean pulling him close. Every so often, Dean pulled back to whisper Castiel’s name, starting to shorten it to just ‘Cas’, which Castiel found himself liking very much.

It was a giggling make-out that Jimmy walked into ten minutes later, letting them know that breakfast was ready.

“It won’t be as good as Cassie’s breakfasts, I’m sure,” Jimmy teased, “but it’s all his favorites. Come on, you two.”

As the three of them sat at the kitchen counter, eating their pancakes and bacon, all stress about secrets were gone and suddenly life felt so much better.

* * *

Amelia came back to the apartment as they were cleaning up breakfast, apologizing profusely once again. Once she saw Dean and Castiel together, unable to keep their hands off of each other and smiling widely, she realized that things had worked out in the end.

As they were heading home, Dean pulled Amelia aside.

“Thank you, Amelia,” Dean said simply. “If it weren’t for you, I’m not sure when I would have found out about the switch. It’s one big, messed up situation, but I am grateful that you have a part in it… If it weren’t for you I wouldn’t have Castiel by my side.”

Amelia smiled, throwing her arms around Dean. “We’ve got two keepers, those twins,” she whispered in his ear. He hugged her back.

“We sure do.”

The car ride home was quiet, which made Castiel a little nervous. Even though Dean said he loved Castiel, he hadn’t said anything about the lying and deception. While he may have understood it all, that didn’t mean that Castiel expected immediate forgiveness.

He was right in his thoughts, he quickly realized.

Dean didn’t say anything to him as they came into the apartment, and Castiel chose to ignore the empty whiskey bottle and glasses on the coffee table.

Dean headed straight for their bedroom, stripping his clothes on his way. Castiel stood awkwardly in the doorway, not sure if he was wanted or not. When Dean headed for their ensuite bathroom, he turned to Castiel. “Are you coming?”

Castiel practically tripped over himself to follow, taking off his own clothes in the process. Dean fiddled with the taps of the shower, getting the pressure and temperature just right before stepping inside.

Castiel got in after him, the feeling of the water incredible after the long and stressful night. Their shower was one of his favorite things about the apartment, with the multiple showerheads and large space. It was easy for the two of them to shower together, whether it was sex-driven or not.

Dean got to work washing his hair, not really meeting Castiel’s eyes. Castiel began washing himself as well, watching Dean carefully for any clues to his thoughts.

Dean finished washing himself before Castiel and took the opportunity to help Castiel, his soapy hands finding every crevice of Castiel’s body. Castiel willed himself to keep control, but soon was hard as a rock just from having Dean’s hands on him. 

“You like it when I touch you, Castiel?” Dean asked, his voice rough. “You want more?”

Castiel looked up at Dean, the need to please in his eyes. He nodded.

“Get out and dry off, lay face down on the bed.”

Dean’s orders were clear and concise, and Castiel had no hesitation following orders. He grabbed his towel and rubbed at his hair and body on his way to their bed. He glanced for a moment at the drawer which held their lube and condoms, realizing that he classified everything in the apartment as  _ theirs _ . He could only hope that nothing about that would change.

He laid down, just as Dean had instructed, resting his head on his hands. His cock was hard underneath him, but he did his best to ignore it. He hoped Dean wouldn’t be harsh – Castiel didn’t think he could handle that type of intimacy. His head was turned toward the bathroom, so he saw when Dean came into the room.

For a few minutes, Dean just looked at Castiel, his eyes wandering every inch of flesh. Castiel could practically feel the gaze, heat rising to his skin with each passing second.

Finally Dean spoke.

“I have every right to be angry, you know,” Dean said. Castiel nodded quickly, agreeing. Before he could respond, Dean continued. “But I also understand. I didn’t like the contract, I fought with my father over it every time I saw him for years. I just wish…”

Dean stepped closer to the bed, sitting on the edge. He sighed.

“I guess I wish one of two things,” Dean said. “I either wish that I’d chosen you, all those years ago, instead of Jimmy…” For a moment Castiel’s mind whirred at that thought, wondering how much would have been different if a young Dean Winchester had said Castiel’s name instead of his brother’s. “Or I wish you had told the truth from day one.”

Castiel swallowed, his throat clogging up with emotion. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Dean stopped him.

“I suppose you’re just going to have to spend the rest of your life making it up to me, right Cas?”

If Castiel hadn’t gotten to know Dean so well in the past months, if he hadn’t been familiar with every range of emotion in Dean’s voice, he would have been afraid. Sure, there was a bit of spite in Dean’s words, but there was also a warmth. This was Dean saying that he wanted Castiel for life, that he was honoring their relationship and the intimacy that they shared. This was Dean’s way of forgiving Castiel.

Castiel raised himself up onto his elbows, angling his upper body toward Dean.

“I will spend every moment of the rest of our lives loving you, Dean Winchester. I will never lie to you, ever again.”

They held each other’s gaze for a moment, the softest of smiles gracing their lips. Finally Dean leaned forward to kiss Castiel, his hand resting gently on Castiel’s jawline.

When they broke apart, Dean was grinning. “Let’s get started then, shall we?”

Dean reached for the drawer with lube and Castiel bit his bottom lip, snapping back into the mood. He pushed himself up onto all fours, wiggling his hips in what he hoped was a seductive, come hither way. He saw Dean’s eyes snap toward his ass, so he figured it had worked.

Dean swatted at Castiel’s cheek. “You keep doing that, I can’t promise to go slow.”

“Who said anything about going slow?” Castiel quipped. “I want my husband to fuck me.”

Dean groaned, popping the cap of the lube open and coating his fingers. He got behind Castiel on the mattress and immediately pushed two fingers inside of Castiel’s hole, making Castiel’s head drop onto the bed in response to the sweet mixture of pleasure and pain.

They’d been having enough sex for Dean to know Castiel’s limits, but even so Castiel trusted Dean more than anyone. He pushed back on Dean’s fingers, letting Dean know he was okay.

Dean pumped his fingers in and out, using the thumb of his other hand to pull at Castiel’s rim to stretch him even more. A third finger was added quickly, until Castiel was rocking back against four of Dean’s fingers and begging for more.

“Okay, Cas, just a minute,” Dean said, removing his fingers and kissing Castiel’s spine. He moved to reach for a condom, but Castiel’s hand on his made him stop.

“Dean, just fuck me, please,” Castiel begged. Dean looked between Castiel and the condoms, eyebrows raising in a silent  _ Are you sure? _

Castiel nodded, so Dean moved back behind him, lubing up his bare cock. He rubbed the tip along the cleft of Castiel’s ass, back and forth across Castiel’s rim. Finally he notched himself and began pushing inside, watching as he sunk into Castiel’s body inch by inch.

Castiel held still, feeling the bare skin of Dean filling his insides. It was hotter than normal, without the latex of the condom between them. It made Castiel’s dick bob between his legs at the knowledge and feeling of nothing separating the two of them.

When Dean was fully inside of Castiel, he draped himself over Castiel’s back, pressing every part of them together that he could. His mouth came just below Castiel’s ear, which he nibbled the lobe of.

“You feel incredible, Cas,” Dean whispered. Castiel shivered in response, not to the words or the skin-on-skin, but at his name on Dean’s lips. Dean grinned against Castiel’s neck. “You like it when I say your name, Castiel?” Dean began to pull his hips back, keeping them as close as possible. “You have a beautiful name, Castiel. No wonder why you’d always get a sour look on your face when I called you Jimmy, because it wasn’t you. You are Castiel, my husband, my lover.”

Dean was starting to move now, their bodies sliding together and apart in a dance only they could do. Castiel gripped the sheets beneath him, concentrating on Dean’s body and words.

The entire time Dean moved within him, he was whispering things in his ear, against the skin of his neck, repeating his name over and over. Castiel’s insides were bursting with the feeling of love and affection Dean was showering over him. He and Dean had had sex many times by now, but this was so much more.

Sweat pooled between their bodies, but neither of them cared. Dean stayed draped over Castiel’s back, one arm holding himself up while the other wrapped around Castiel’s stomach. Castiel’s erection swung back and forth between his legs, leaking profusely with every rut of Dean’s cockhead against his prostate.

“Castiel, fuck you feel good,” Dean groaned, his hips slapping against Castiel’s ass. “So hot, so tight…”

Castiel only whimpered in response, his mind mush. He was edging closer with each whisper of his name from Dean’s lips, needing to hear it over and over.

Dean must have known.

“You getting close, Castiel?” Dean asked. “You going to come from me fucking you, Castiel?” Dean thrusted a couple times, hard enough to make Castiel cry out in pleasure-pain. “Come on, Castiel, come on my cock alone. You can do it, Cas, come for me.”

Castiel couldn’t handle it anymore, between Dean saying his name over and over and his hips working Castiel’s body perfectly. He spilled onto the bed beneath him, coating it with stickiness. His ass clenched around Dean, making it harder for Dean to continue thrusting. He worked Castiel through his orgasm, though, until finally Castiel felt the rush of come filling him from the inside.

“Castiel…” Dean cried out, holding himself deep inside as his cock twitched out the remainder of his release.

Castiel knew he would be sore in the morning, but he couldn’t think of anything better than making love with his husband, Dean calling his name as he came.

* * *

Once they’d showered again and eaten a casual lunch, Dean picked up his cell phone. Castiel was still chewing on the remainder of his sandwich as someone answered the phone.

“I need you at my apartment like ten minutes ago,” Dean said into his phone matter-of-factly. “It’s an emergency. Bring your laptop.”

Dean ended the call before the person on the other line even had time to reply. Castiel quirked his head to the side in the obvious question.  _ Who was that? _

Dean stood, taking their two empty plates to the kitchen. “You might want to get dressed, we’ll have company soon and I can’t promise I won’t get jealous of anyone else who gets to see you shirtless.”

Castiel rolled his eyes, glancing down at himself. He was wearing a pair of Dean’s boxers and nothing else, having expected a relaxed, somewhat sensual rest of the day. He headed for the bedroom to change before grabbing his book to read on the porch. Whoever Dean had called, it seemed like business. Castiel didn’t feel like doing business on the weekend, so he quickly got lost in his book.

A quarter of an hour later, the doorbell rang. Castiel saw through the window as Dean went to answer it, also dressed in casual clothing. Castiel had returned his eyes to his book when he heard a familiar voice.

“I don’t much appreciate being treated like a slave, ordered here or there, Dean,” the voice said. “Just because I’m younger than you doesn’t mean I can’t beat your ass.”

Castiel stood, ready to greet his brother-in-law. Why had Dean invited – or demanded, rather – Sam over? What was on his mind?

The Winchesters came into the living room just as Castiel closed the porch door. “Hello, Sam,” Castiel greeted. Sam grinned at him, looking much happier than his voice implied by his reprimanding tone a moment ago.

“Jimmy, good to see you!”

Castiel and Dean’s eyes snapped to each other, having a silent conversation. Dean held Castiel’s eye as he spoke to Sam.

“That’s what the emergency is, Sammy.” Dean looked over at Sam, his face serious. “This isn’t Jimmy, it’s Castiel.”

Sam held an apologetic hand up. “Oh, sorry Castiel. I figured since you were here, you were Jimmy, ya know?”

Dean stepped in again. “No, Sam. Let me start over. This,” Dean motioned for Castiel to come toward him, and Castiel complied, “is Castiel, my husband.” Dean’s arm found it’s place around Castiel’s waist, pulling him close. 

Sam looked between the two of them, confusion on his face. “But…”

Castiel shook his head. “Dean isn’t doing a very good job explaining. Why don’t we sit, I’ll tell the whole story?”

Dean nodded, pulling Castiel down on the couch next to him. Sam sat in the chair across, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees.

Castiel told him the story. From Dean’s shifting next to him periodically, Castiel did a bit better of a job explaining things and giving details than Jimmy had, but otherwise Dean stayed quiet throughout Castiel’s words. It was when Castiel got to the point of Dean walking out the previous night that Dean squeezed his arm to interrupt.

“I was up all night, thinking about what Jimmy explained to me,” Dean admitted. “I was angry, felt betrayed, but also completely understood. Sam, Jimmy and Amelia are so head-over-heels in love, I would have done the same thing if I was Cas. Cas was making sure that his brother had love,” Dean squeezed Castiel’s hand, “and that’s what I need you to help us with.”

Sam was obviously wrapping his mind around the twin switch, but he swallowed and nodded. “What do you need?”

Dean leaned forward, pointing at Sam’s laptop. “Pull up that damn contract. Pull up anything you and that big brain of yours can get to figure out how to help us.”

Sam’s laptop was open already, his fingers typing away. Castiel cleared his throat. “Amelia’s been working on this for years, I don’t know if there’s anything…”

Sam looked up at Castiel. “Call her. Get her over here, she’ll be able to tell me what she’s done and we can go from there.”

Castiel looked at Dean before nodding, going to their bedroom to fetch his cell phone. A quick conversation with Amelia promised that she and Jimmy would be over soon. She was still overly apologetic, willing to do anything to help. 

When Castiel returned to the living room, it was to see Sam leaning over his laptop and piles of papers. A few steps closer showed that it was a copy of the contract, the same contract that Castiel had read a thousand times over the years.

Sam’s muttering reminded Castiel something immediately: Sam, like Amelia, was pursuing law. He was a bit farther along than she was, because of the strings that his father had pulled for him, so maybe he would be able to find something that she hadn’t.

An hour later, their apartment was buzzing. Jimmy and Amelia had arrived, Sam immediately snatching Amelia and her paperwork and moving to the dining table. Dean invited Jimmy and Castiel into the kitchen for a drink, suggesting that they “Let the brains do their thing.”

The afternoon fell into evening, the twins dancing around the kitchen making dinner for all of them. Amelia and Sam ate at their work, while Jimmy, Castiel, and Dean ate in front of the black screen of the television. They were too wound up to watch anything, wanting to hear the second that Sam or Amelia found anything.

Dinner was cleared and night fell. Castiel’s head was in his hands, debating whether he should demand they all call it a night and start again in the morning, when Amelia let out a strange noise.

“What?” Sam said, hope evident in his voice.

“We’re going about this all wrong!” Amelia said. Castiel looked up in time to see her grab a handful of papers from in front of her and throw them over her shoulder. Sam was looking at her with just as much confusion as Castiel felt. 

“What do you mean?” Dean asked, attention obviously having been caught the same as Castiel’s was.

“The contract doesn’t matter anymore,” Amelia said, standing. “All these years, I’ve been trying to find a way out of the contract for Jimmy. I’ve always failed. Your freaking fathers knew how to hire their lawyers.” Amelia walked around the table toward Dean and Castiel, who were standing in the living room.

“But now, the contract doesn’t matter. It’s been fulfilled,” Amelia said matter-of-factly. “There was a marriage. It’s done.”

She looked back at Sam. “It’s the marriage license we need to look at now.”

Obviously she had said something right, because Sam’s face lit up. “The marriage license!”

He began typing furiously on his computer, while Dean and Castiel looked at one another. Dean reached out for Castiel’s hand, squeezing it gently. “This seems promising?” Dean said, but there was an obvious question in his voice. Castiel nodded, hope bubbling in his stomach.

“Ah, I can’t get the records from here,” Sam said, frustrated. “I’m going to have to go to the courthouse, unless you have a copy?”

Dean straightened, thinking. “Yes, I have a copy…” he muttered, looking around the room. He squeezed Castiel’s hand before heading toward his office, opening and closing drawers. Castiel rolled his eyes, knowing how unorganized Dean could be. He just hoped Dean hadn’t misplaced their wedding license.

“Here!” Dean called, coming back into the room holding the paper up high. He pushed it into Sam’s face, letting Sam take it.

Sam and Amelia huddled over the license while Jimmy, Castiel, and Dean watched. Amelia pointed at something, Sam at something else. Sam grabbed his laptop, typing away before pointing the screen toward Amelia.

They were smiling. That had to be good.

“We’ll go first thing Monday morning,” Sam announced. “It might take some sweet talking, but they’ll do it, they have to.”

“Do what? Where are we going?” Dean asked, looking at his brother urgently.

“The courthouse,” Amelia answered. “We just need to get the marriage license changed, have your name put where Jimmy’s is. We’ll all need to go, talk to a judge, IDs at the ready and such, but there’s precedence for changing a name on a marriage license. It’ll be fine. It’ll be over.”

* * *

Monday morning didn’t come fast enough. That being said, Dean and Castiel didn’t spend much time outside of their bedroom or shower between the time that their brothers and Amelia left and waking up Monday morning, Dean quickly becoming obsessed with the way Castiel responded to him whispering Castiel’s name in his ear.

Their legs felt a bit like jelly as they met in front of the courthouse at eight am Monday morning.

“You have your IDs?” Amelia asked. Dean rolled his eyes, surprised that she would think he’d forget. “Jimmy nearly forgot his, I’m just making sure…” she said in response, Jimmy’s head falling forward in a mixture of embarrassment and frustration. Castiel was sure that Amelia had reprimanded him the entire drive for nearly forgetting his ID.

“We have them,” Castiel said as he patted his pocket where his wallet sat.

Dean grabbed Castiel’s hand in his and started pulling him inside, the group on a mission.

Sam had made an appointment with a judge, so they were ushered right in. They let Sam do the talking, watching as he handed the marriage license over, as well as a few examples of name changes and everyone’s IDs – Dean’s, Castiel’s, and Jimmy’s.

The judge, an older man named Robert Singer, looked at them like he’d rather be anywhere else besides listening to an overview of a mixed-up love story. He picked up the license, then looked at the twins.

“So, which one of yeh is the idjit who actually wants to be married to this kid?” he asked, his voice raspy. Castiel raised his hand slightly in response.

“Me, sir. Castiel.”

Judge Singer looked at the IDs, picking up Castiel’s, then Jimmy’s. “And it was you who said the ‘I do’s’?”

“Yes, sir.”

Judge Singer harrumphed before turning his chair around, fiddling with some papers on the desk behind. “The witnesses who signed the wedding license, that’s you others?” he asked, his back still turned.

“Yes, sir,” Sam answered. “We were the best men.”

Judge Singer turned again, holding paperwork in his hands. “Sign these, right here in front of me. Then take ‘em down the hall to Jo’s desk – she’s the blonde. She’ll get you the official license done up all pretty with a bow.”

Dean and Castiel looked at each other, excited eyes wide. “That’s it?” Dean blurted, the excitement in his voice.

Judge Singer squinted at him. “Did you want to jump through a dozen more hoops, boy? I’m trying to help you out, seein’ as your last name is Winchester and all.”

Dean gulped. “Of course not, Your Honor. We appreciate it, that’s all.”

Castiel nodded in agreement, before the two of them leaned over to sign where Sam indicated. 

Fifteen minutes later, they were back in front of the courthouse with a new marriage license, declaring Dean Winchester and Castiel Novak to be wedded husbands.

The five of them were quiet for a moment before Amelia squealed. “It worked!”

Suddenly they were laughing, maybe crying a bit, all hugging one another. Jimmy wrapped Castiel up in the longest hug of all, too many words to say to even start talking.

When Jimmy let Castiel go, Dean wrapped him in his arms for a kiss, one reminiscent of the intense kiss on the altar the day they’d gotten married. Once again, Sam hollered in response, Jimmy and Amelia clapping enthusiastically.

Finally things seemed right.

* * *

If Sam and Mary hadn’t been there when Dean and Castiel told John Winchester, things may have gone very differently. John was not happy about the lies, starting to rant and rave about trust and contracts… until Sam very clearly laid out that the contract had been fulfilled, nothing had changed except the particular twin involved.

Mary gave Castiel a long hug, a mother’s hug. He melted into her embrace in a way that he hadn’t been able to do since his own mother had passed a decade before.

Before they left the Winchesters’, Dean grabbed Castiel’s hand. “We’ll be doing a small commitment ceremony, with the correct names, in the Novak Mansion garden on Saturday. After that, we’re taking a couple weeks off. I’ve always wanted to go to Bora Bora.”

Mary smiled, happy tears in her eyes. John huffed a moment, but nodded. “We’ll be there.”

Dean practically dragged Castiel out of the room then, eager to get back home to celebrate all of the good news.

The ceremony was small and simple, the only people there immediate family. Sam, John, and Mary stood to one side, while Jimmy, Amelia (with baby Claire in her arms), and Balthazar stood on the other. Dumah made them a huge dinner, and the night went surprisingly well. Without a crowd of business associates, John wasn’t as much of an asshole as normal, and Mary barely let baby Claire out of her arms.

“I can’t wait for more little ones running around,” she commented, looking pointedly at Dean. He shook his head.

“Mom, do you understand how babies work?” he teased. She tutted at him.

“Dean, do you understand that there are thousands of children out there just waiting to be adopted by two wonderful parents such as you and Castiel?” she countered. Dean didn’t have a response.

Castiel laughed, patting Dean’s lap before commandeering Claire from Mary. “For now, we’re just going to be doting uncles, I think,” he said, Claire reaching out to grab his nose. “But maybe someday.”

Dean smiled as he watched Castiel with Claire, suddenly yearning for the day when it was their child in Castiel’s arms, not their niece.

“That’s all I ask,” Mary said softly, happy with planting the seed.

John harrumphed again, drawing everyone’s attention. He looked almost like a deer in headlights. A moment of quiet passed before he held his hand out. “Hand that baby girl this way, it’s my turn.”

Dean grinned as he watched the gruff John Winchester with pretty and pink baby Claire, seeing exactly how a business contract made a decade previously had turned his life completely upside down, and one thousand percent happy with the outcome.

He pulled Castiel into a kiss, excited for every moment of their future together. 


End file.
